More than one of my predecessors-most recently the great Alessandro Mendini-have invoked the metaphor of the ocean liner when speaking of Domus. In many ways it's a natural analogy: she is the ponderous queen of design publications, and though she may not be agile, her steadiness is a priceless virtue in the turbulent seas of 21st-century publishing. She may be cumbersome to handle at times, but few others have her reach, recognition or as valuable a cargo of knowledge in the hold, or as experienced and dedicated a crew. Fitting as it is in every way, there is one thing about this naval-touristic image that vexes me: its introspectiveness. If we, the editors, are its (indefatigable) crew, and our readers are its (discriminating) passengers, what exactly is the purpose of our voyage? Are we simply providing passage between known points, from A to B, in luxury and good company as a worthy ocean liner does? Is our sole objective the conveyance of knowledge previously produced on the safety of the shore? Are the nightly conversations among fellow travellers destined to reverberate around the ballroom, then die out? Is this marvellous ship nothing more than one big echo chamber?
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