Akt Magazine Issue 4

We move away to become closer. AKT IV is an act of release.

Letting go. Losing control. Leaving for the countryside. This fourth issue of AKT documents the freedom of release. It follows creators who stray from the path and relinquish the rules of control.

Jewellery designer Catherine Rochtus lets materials speak for themselves. The trio behind Newchild gallery lets its artists be the guides. In an industry of followers, fashion creative Florence Cools values her autonomy. Darshana Shilpi Rouget encourages art to flow beyond its frame. Moving closer into our true selves can be a journey as slight as leaning into assurance, or as strong as moving across an ocean. Julie Claes of Studio STRAF finds peace in the shade, while Tom van Dorpe finds his natural pace in Paris. Sometimes our destination can be found in the way we live and the buildings we inhabit. We travel with Axel Vervoordt through his home Castle ‘s-Gravenwezel and down a hidden path in the forest to his wabi pavilion designed with architect Tatsuro Miki. With architect Hans Verstuyft, we explore a minimalist family home near Antwerp that finds its heart in a historic footprint.

Many people journey their lifetimes to find the feeling of home. Writer Michael Gardner considers how time changes us and diverts us our paths – how memories of personal tragedy ripen, how the words of Zen master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh resonate, and how 365 flowers can bloom and fade. His thoughts unfold to a rich, painterly and mystical photographic essay that asks us to keep looking deeper.

Through poetry, We contemplates the inwards journey to feeling present inside yourself – illustrated by the vivacious images of visual creator Ramy Moharam Fouad and make up designer Joek Janssens that capture the sense of unbridled individual freedom this can bring.