with origins in science fiction novels and the public’s response to seemingly impossible narratives and fictitious creations – the zine’s origins are literary and relatively humble / how then have we arrived at a stage when in an effort to demonstrate the power of community art / in an effort to engage in a small piece of artistic activism by inviting contributions on the theme of ‘belonging and not belonging’ have we turned to a zine /
the answer in some ways is simple / it is perhaps the easiest method to empower artists – individuals – and activists on a grassroots level to be a part of an artistic project / there is no set standard that one must reach in order to achieve entry to the ‘publication’ / and yet publishing one’s work in such a piece is less daunting than perhaps an invitation to contribute to a community gallery exhibition /
several factors of zine making ensure that this is so :
like a magazine it invites many contributors to submit ideas along a single theme / enabling a multitude of views – or artistic demonstrations – to be expressed – and due to their parallel publication in the same document – no single section carries more authority than any other / in such a way – I believe – a zine can be a physical manifestation of non-hierarchical dissemination of information – opinion – and artistic expression
its size – it is not imposing and its small – somewhat handmade – appearance can lend it a more DIY exterior / empowering those that might not wish to put their work or opinions on display to be a part of a more low-key project / its size and consequent low costs also facilitate a wider dissemination enabling the content of the zine to reach more people
Hoopla : A Radical Craft Zine - just one example of thousands of political zines made - art as a means of political expression
the process of compiling and constructing a zine can be particularly collaborative / an invitation to contribute can be spread widely and contributions can be collected electronically – without the need for a central point or excessive funds / the zine can be put together in a group – and it is here than one can engage those who are unfamiliar with any artistic methods or processes – through running a whole day-long series of workshops that explore the submissions and put them together to form the zine / in this way the compiling of the zine itself becomes a community arts project / and if the effect is to engage a wider community in the artistic process that due to its theme is fundamentally concerned with social justice and the inclusion of the traditionally marginalized – then there we have it – a project that links with the themes and methods of the art of activism
one idea that we have spoken of with relation to the east oxford zine currently in the process of being made is to also include an element of DIY for the recipients / this might be the inclusion of origami instructions that transform the zine into their own small piece of art – this could further be extended by including suggestions of where they might place/hang such a piece / or perhaps include on the reverse of a fold out zine a large image and beneath it instructions to make wallpaper paste – encouraging that the reader/viewer takes part in the project /
the final point to mention here is the inherent ability of such publications to look forward towards future projects / asking for submissions in response to a zine is one way of further engaging not only those already involved – but anyone who sees the zine / thereby prompting and inspiring further artistic activity /
the flexibility and versatility of zines – only a small part of which is described above make them a project that can involve a much wider community than a more formalised artistic endeavour / going some way on the road towards a cultural democracy that includes as many as possible and has the capacity to continue to grow /
in the meantime / while east oxford’s own is in the process of being made / a zine as mentioned above on the theme of ‘belonging and not belonging’ – and which due to the nature of the zine will not belong to anyone but hopefully be accessible to all / check out many hundreds on this website: http://zinelibrary.info/ and also see another excellent zine made in east oxford: http://radicalx.ox4.org/playfight