The event organized by Prologue Magazine, Watching Sunsets While the World Ends, was a pleasant experience and an enigmatic start to an end-of-April weekend.
It took place on Friday, 28 April, and was held in the garden next to The Cave at the IE Segovia Campus. People sat on the grass and socialized under the warm spring sun.
Nebello, the DJ, provided upbeat and lively music that complemented the atmosphere of the evening. It wasn’t too loud, which made it easier to have conversations and enjoy the company of others.
The event promised a celebration of creativity and community, and it certainly delivered on that front.
Prologue Magazine organizers brought people together for a fun and laid-back evening, watching the sunset with drinks and food. There was also the possibility of buying the magazine and other merch options.
I got to interview several members of Prologue; here are some questions I asked them…
Questions asked
First, I interviewed Victoria Rossi, who played a significant role in organizing the event.
Could you elaborate on the aim of the event?
This event aimed to introduce the student-run magazine Prologue to IE’s School of Architecture and Design and to give all students an idea of what the magazine is, what we do, how they could join if they were interested, and overall promote a space for all students of the Arch & Design school to meet and get together.
Please share your thoughts on the event’s success and whether it met your expectations.
The event was great and surpassed all expectations! Everyone had a good time, the weather helped, and the sun showed up just in time. It was a lovely environment.
How can people learn about the subsequent events? Are there any upcoming events that you would like to promote?
Everything you need to know about the magazine and future events can be found on our Instagram, but check your inbox for invitations as we did for this event. We are already in the works for exciting things to come to Madrid this time!
How does the event encompass the main principles of the magazine?
This event was complete, with fun activities, networking opportunities, exciting conversations, and a good time. The magazine does promote this environment as well.
At Prologue, we always try to go beyond the expectations of an Architecture and Design magazine. With this event, we tried to step outside the box of the typical events we have around campus.
Moreover, after this event, I got to interview Mangaliso (or Manga) Ngcobo, the Chief Editor of Prologue, to learn more about the magazine.
Please tell me about the current direction of the magazine.
The magazine is [both] the same and different. It is always different.
Currently, Yusuf and I, Creative Director and Editor in chief [respectively], are fascinated with ways that the magazine can stop being an inwardly facing magazine defined by the strict confines of the architectural discipline. Because it’s a small magazine with a relatively large and constantly changing team, it is hard for it to remain the same. Architecture is expansive and interdisciplinary, but we are trying to clarify this.
We’re also exploring ways to incorporate various registers and modes of expression in the magazine. In our call for content, we aim to blur the lines between academic and internet records, recognizing the potential value of memes and other non-traditional forms of discourse.
Is there a platform where people can buy the magazine?
The Prologue website will be up and running soon, offering the option to purchase magazine copies. In the meantime, we primarily distribute our publication via Instagram, where interested individuals may send us direct messages to place orders.
Manga also gave information on the theme and some further thoughts:
In terms of theme, we are discussing ‘THE END.’ We have just noticed how the end of the world as an idea has been bleeding quite rapidly into contemporary discourse and media, mainly concerning the climate. Still, there are other ENDS to be cognisant of.
Whether or not this is a kind of sensationalism or fetishism, we have noticed it is undoubtedly affecting policy and behavior. Say, for instance, Extinction Rebellion, the climate activist group being labeled a domestic terrorist in the UK, or how Balenciaga is funneling an Apocalyptic aesthetic into mainstream fashion with its more recent runway shows, or even how legacy financial models and institutions are dealing with the existential threat of Open access blockchain technologies. In conclusion, there is the actual End of the world, which may or may not be imminent, and there are the narratives and cultures we develop in response to that End. That’s our point of departure.
The magazine is also more than the object. It has many people working on it, some who work on it directly, and some who bring attention to it through media and events planning. I’m beyond proud to be in a team like it.
Thank you to Victoria and Manga for the interviews, and thanks to the whole Prologue Magazine team for the beautiful event.
