The physicality of a human body denotes our essential relationship to forms and being. Yet, if placed in different contexts, the notion of body could collapse into a synonym to a surface, a machine, a system, or an automated assemblage in capitalism, media technology, politics, and the Internet. A body could lack transparency, concreteness and authenticity while still claiming its very identity and functionality. 

In its second iteration–the Body Issue, PLATES presents collective voices which address issues around a corporal body, a virtual entity, body politic, identity, body mechanics, bodilessness, expressive/performative body, body as tools, or any body issue in relation to their practice.

In this issue, publisher RELATED DEPARTMENT collaborated with London-based multidisciplinary artist and visual designer Can Yang on creative direction and design. 

PLATES is an editorial and curatorial response to contemporary design practice and criticism. Each issue dives into a specific topic that is pertinent to the design reality we live in, presented and archived in a series of image and textual plates in an organic, iterative and evolving format.

Includes 18 individual plates—writings, diagrams, photographs, posters, and typographic specimens—by contributors Bryson Lee, Can Can Press, Clement Valla, Common Imprint, Laura Coombs + Mindy Seu, Luna Maurer, Studio Moniker, Radical Characters + Body & Forma, Source Type + Mara Frazier, Stephanie Specht, Tiger Dingsun

Creative direction and design: Related Department and Can Yang

Published by Page Bureau, 2025

Rubber band binding (removable), [64 pages] + 1 poster, b&w and multi-color, 8.4 × 11.25 inches (individual pieces with varying dimensions)