Inspiration: N by Norwegian

Reading Time: 2 minutes

This is not your average inflight magazine: a photo story on the architectures of Burning Man, a piece on fashion futures through textile innovation, and an exploration of the meaning of “nationality” in the context of Estonia’s digital statehood programme.

 

lots of choice nuggets of info on the latest cultural goings on

I usually ignore these crumpled and slightly sticky (*shudder*)  in-flight magazines, finding them stuffed with endless adverts, limp articles promoting the airline travel destinations in generic terms, and extortionately expensive “meal deals”. Understandably, they’re not too stimulating when their target audience is so broad, but I’ve found Norwegian’s N magazine to be a surprising exception.  I was initially drawn in a few years ago by a fantastic cover image of the Barbican centre (a place I now visit frequently for inspiration!) and a feature on brutalist architectures. I now find I always pick it up to leaf through as it’s right up my street – lots of choice nuggets of info on the latest cultural goings on, trends, new exhibitions and restaurants, and a vast array of topics

 

 

Each issue opens with a section on “this month’s essential info” covering cultural news from around the world. September includes the Homeless World Cup in Oslo, upcoming concerts by a composer inspired by Icelandic landscapes, and opening of a new siesta bar in central  Madrid where visitors can take a nap. These snapshots are perfect for the aeroplane environment where reading is often interrupted by announcements or neighbouring passengers getting up and down!

 

 

the Danish black metal musician, Myrkur, has used a 15th century Swedish fiddle known as a ”nyckelharpa” on her latest album

There are also a pleasing number of stories from the endlessly fascinating Scandinavia region.  This month, I learned that the first sake brewery in Europe is based in Norway, and I immediately resolved to research how the taste compares to those produced in Japan – for legitimate blogging purposes of course… The Danish black metal musician, Myrkur, has used a 15th century Swedish fiddle known as a ”nyckelharpa” on her latest album inspired by her nightmares (so metal!).  Finland’s education manager has revolutionised their system by introducing cross-curricular “phenomenon-based learning”, starting with a real-world concept such as smartphones and exploring from the perspective of different subjects-  let’s see if this will be adopted elsewhere in Europe. An impressive range of topics to be enlightened on within 15 minutes!

 

 

The tone of voice is humorous, smart, and modern, and for me, contains just enough depth to spark my interest and want to discuss with friends. Helpfully, a link is provided at the end of each article so you can to find out more (using the on-board Wi-Fi if you’re super keen) . I leave the plane feeling inspired to explore new places (Burning Man 2018 anyone!?), and a more interesting dinner party guest (will the future of sustainable fashion be textiles grown from microorganisms in laboratories? boom).

 

Give it a try on your next flight, or find it online here– happy travels!

Zoë

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