Magazine Issue Infused with HIV-Infected Blood

Ernest Hemingway once said, “Writing is easy. You just open a vein and bleed.”

A German magazine is taking his advice literally, using blood to start a conversation about eradicating the stigma surrounding HIV.

Vangardist, a monthly men’s magazine, is releasing 3000 copies of its spring issue, which will feature ink infused with HIV-positive blood donated by 3 individuals.

“With this unique project, we want to create a response in a heartbeat by transforming the media into the very root of the stigma itself, by printing every word, line, picture, and page of the magazine with blood from HIV-positive people,” wrote Jason Romeyko, the executive creative director for Saatchi & Saatchi Switzerland, the advertising agency that worked on the project. “By holding the issue, readers are immediately breaking the taboo.”

Following guidelines developed by Harvard and Innsbruck University, Vangardist assures the issue is 100% safe for readers. Nonetheless, Vangardist said there has already been significant debate and discussion surrounding it.

The spring issue costs about $56 and will be distributed to Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Profits from the issue will go to charities supporting those with HIV/AIDS.

“With NGOs and governments alike all acknowledging that the social stigma surrounding the disease remains 1 of the key factors preventing effective management, and ultimately the eradication of the virus, Vangardist believes it is essential that conversations around this topic are reignited,” a press release said.

The cover reads: “This magazine has been printed with the blood of HIV-positive people. Now the issue is in your hands.”