ABOUT

WHY? It is time the PATRIARCHY received a jolly good rogering – consent not required.

ZINE? Short for fanzine – pronounced zeen. Zines were popularized in the early 1900s as an alternative to the establishment’s publications. Strangely people other than straight white men in power had something to say.

In the 1920s, a group of Black creatives in Harlem began the literary magazine Fire!! Only one issue was released, but this inspired the creation of other zines by black authors, artists and activists.

The 1930s – 1960s saw ZINEs include niche topics from the Lithuanian Partisans fighting the scourge of Nazis and those pesky Russian neighbours, to Science Fiction authors not being taken seriously, (always blathering on about the end of the world and aliens). The 1970s with the high tech world of photocopiers gave the gift of punk rock zines and the 90s brought us Riot grrrl – tada!!!

We find ourselves flung 100 years – give or take – into the future. It’s the 21st Century and we’ve dispensed with the traditional cut, paste and orange paper of our foreZINErs but there is a rather important cause still in need of our attention. FUCKTHEPATRIARCHY!

.ART? ARTISTS are the harbingers of change – the avant garde – sometimes marching ahead – sometimes sneaking around the edges creating subversion. Poets, songwriters, photographers, artists, comedians, designers, painters, actors. Professionals and amateurs alike YOU are an artist – we all are – create the change. Also .COM was taken – all modern girls have PLAN B.

“Like ART, revolutions come from combining what exists into what has never existed before”
Gloria Steinhem

ZINE checklist – let’s see if we qualify.

product of either a single person or of a very small group
✔ first box checked
non-professional and non-official publication
✔ you had us at non-professional
produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest
✔ shared interest – we’re confident there are a few peeps out there wanting to fuck the patriarchy and get artsy with it
Among the various intentions for creation and publication are developing one’s identity, sharing a niche skill or art, or developing a story, as opposed to seeking profit.
✔ almost – we’re gonna talk about $$$ cause there may be a bit of a problem there – women – $ – patriarchy
Historically, zines have provided community for socially isolated individuals or groups through the ability to express and pursue common ideas and subjects.
✔ divided we fall – let’s not do that then
Popularly defined within a circulation of 1,000 or fewer copies, in practice many zines are produced in editions of fewer than 100.
✔ in terms of circulation numbers we’re looking for somewhere between a non-zero number and infinity – there are enough constraints in life already so we’re gonna keep it nice and vague
a “do-it-yourself” philosophy that disregards the traditional conventions of professional design and publishing houses, proposing an alternative, confident, and self-aware contribution Handwritten zines, or carbon zines, are individually made, emphasizing a personal connection between creator and reader, turning imagined communities into embodied ones.
✔ BINGO
Zines present groups that have been dismissed with an opportunity to voice their opinion, both with other members of their own communities or with a larger audience. This has been reflected in the creation of zine archives and related programming in such mainstream institutions as the Tate Museum and the People’s History Museum.
✔ we will not be DISMISSED or DISSED but we are kinda PISSED