This term Foundation Diploma in Art and Design students have been working closely with artist and Academic Support Tutor Megan Pickering on a new collaborative Zine project. Megan proposed the project as an outlet for students and staff to learn about Zines and share their work and ideas on a regular basis. Commonly associated with music, artwork, editorials and self-expression Zines are self-published magazines produced in short editions.
Foundation Diploma in Art and Design Zine, Issue 1. Cover Design, Kathleen Gorman
Meeting on a regular basis, the Foundation Zine Team discuss themes they want to explore and then open up submissions to students and staff. Issue one was titled ‘Randomly Specific’ and acted as an open call allowing everyone to enter work relating to any theme. The following issues have invited responses to themes such as ‘Chicken Shops’ and ‘Overheard at Camberwell’. Submissions arrive in varied media including collages, illustration and photography and are then collated by the team and photocopied into publications to be handed out.
Zine submission from student, Angy Stiady
Megan’s artistic practice and personal interest in zines was the original driving force for the project. Her work focuses on activism, highlighting stories that are often unrepresented in mainstream media but are important in challenging oppressive societal norms. For a recent project, she made a zine titled ‘Silenced Feminisms, inspired by Spare Rib’ which was created from research into the Spare Rib archive at the Feminist Library London. Responding to key articles in the magazine, Megan found many themes that were sadly still relevant today. The zine looked at social cleansing, racism, classism, transphobia, the 1984 UK miners’ strike, sex worker’s rights, Palestine, sex education and abortion.
Following an initial launch party in the Foundation common room, the team are planning for more events in the future. Currently the zines are handed out by students within the college however as the project develops they hope to expand their ideas and audience.
If you are a current Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Foundation Diploma in Art and Design student and would like to get involved with the project, please email Megan:
Zine submission from student Catherine Morton-Abuah
‘Overheard at Camberwell’ Zine submission from student Kathleen Gorman
Related links:
www.arts.ac.uk/camberwell/courses/foundation-diploma-art-design/