Zine Workshop

When I first signed up for the workshop, I barely knew what a zine was. The only thing I knew was that it was a kind of magazine that was self-published. I discovered during the workshop that a zine is in fact something that is very personal, something that is unique to the artist (as it is a work of art).

The workshop was spread out through two sessions. At the beginning of the first session, Danny taught us about the basic things to know about a zine and how to make a zine. We started off by sewing simple pieces of paper together with a special thread. I later used that booklet as a research booklet/zine on the sustainable futures project. The rest of the day, we did research and experimented how a zine could be presented in different ways. I learnt that it did not only have to be in a form of a booklet but that it could also be folded in different ways. A zine can be presented like a brochure or just folded in four or in six or like an accordion, etc.

We also looked at different forms of zines that Danny had either made, found or bought. All of them were very different and unique. Some zines were almost telling a story through simple photographies in black and white which gave the impression of a very neat work of art. Other zines looked like folded maps but they were in fact an artists artwork and they were not made to be used as maps.

I also learnt during this workshop how to properly use the photocopy machine as it is an important part in the process of making a zine. It is thanks to the photocopier that this unique piece of art can be replicated and given out or sold to other people. Thanks to the photocopier, this unique piece of art can be spread around the world which is not always possible for other pieces of art.

During the second part of the workshop, I finally understood what was the purpose of a zine and how I had to make it. Therefore, I spent the rest of this session testing and trying out different ways of representing some of my sketches and playing with the photocopy machine to change them a bit and to play with layers.

Even though I was a bit confused at the beginning of this workshop, once I understood what was the purpose of the zine and that I could be completely free with what I put in it and how I resent it, I really enjoyed this workshop and continued making more zines for the sustainable futures project.