ZINE CULTURES

Location: Special Collections Reading Room @ The Whisky Bond

At the end of this workshop, your students will be able to:

• Critically discuss the work of Ian Hamilton Finlay, Thomas A Clark, and Julie Johnstone; • Understand how conceptualism, minimalism and word- or ideas-based practice can be applied in print; • Evaluate the relevance of these approaches for their own creative practice.

For further information or to arrange a session contact Duncan Chappell – d.chappell@gsa.ac.uk ZINE CULTURES

This hands-on workshop provides an opportunity for students to view a selection of zines from the library’s collection and gain an insight into their culture, history and modes of production.

A zine is a self-published work, traditionally with a small circulation and produced cheaply by cutting and pasting text and images together to be reproduced via a photocopier. They are rarely made for profit and every aspect of their creation, from writing to printing and distribution, is done by the authors. The zine scene has a DIY sensibility inherited from the punk movement and this remains a core ethos of the scene today. Zines allow the author complete freedom of expression and an outlet that is unconstrained by trends, money, society, or the trappings of mainstream tastes. Zines can be about anything and everything, from politics, music, sport, science fiction, unemployment, or personal journals.

More importantly, they gave a voice to the voiceless, the oppressed, and the abused. Zines became a crucial platform for queer culture, anti-racism, and feminism and continue to be a valid and necessary platform today. Despite the advances in technology and the availability of social media platforms and blogs, zines continue to be printed on paper and distributed through post or by hand.

Duration: 1 hour

Location: Library

At the end of this workshop, your students will be able to:

• Identify some key periods in the history of zine production; • Understand some key terms that define certain types of zines; • Analyse how zines are constructed, produced and printed; • Assess how the zine as a format might inform their own practice.

For further information or to arrange a session contact Bridget McCall – b.mccall@gsa.ac.uk