Zine Workshop 2022
Following the success of the Minecraft Summit, in 2022 we invited members of the ArTechLaw network to join us for an in-person summit. Drawing on the creativity that had already been fostered in our previous event, we chose the medium of zines to facilitate our in-person engagement. Over the course of two days, we gathered in Cambridge to co-create zines that explored topics that were central to the project, such as:
- Historically, how do ontological, legal, cultural, social, technological and commercial distinctions between originals and copies manifest themselves and what are the causes and effects of shifts in their status?
- In what ways do law and technology operate as infrastructures for value creation by art?
- How may an interdisciplinary approach yield new insights into the relationship between creativity, technology and legal regulation in the field of visual art?
First, what are zines?
Zines are self-produced DIY publications that (usually) have a counter-culture message and intended for small circulation. As a medium, they have interesting intersections with the areas of focus in our project, for example:
- Zines rose in popularity due to technological developments. The widespread accessibility of copy shops in the 70s and, later, home photocopiers in the 90s, allowed people to copy and disseminate self-published zines.
- Zines raise interesting questions about the distinction between originals and copies. A zine often doesn’t become a ‘zine’ until it has been copied, as the original DIY-ed pages are not intended for publication. Further, many zines expressly encourage readers to (re)copy the copies to aid dissemination.
Along with these interesting thematic intersections with our project, zines provided a practical tool to bring the different members of the ArTechLaw network together: acting as a tangible medium through which we could explore interdisciplinary insights into the nexus between creativity, technology and regulation in the field of visual art.
Day one
On Day 1 we visited the Cartoon Museum in London to gain inspiration from the many cartoons on display, and were introduced to the basics of caricature and zine making in a workshop hosted by the Museum’s curator, Steve Merchant.
After our visit to the Cartoon Museum, we returned to Cambridge where we broke into three thematic groups exploring either parody, surrogates, or memes.
We wrapped up the day with an informative talk by the cartoonist Steve Bell who discussed his use of Hogarth motifs in his cartoons, as well as sharing interesting perspectives on the concept of parody and the realities of grappling with copyright restrictions in his work.
Day two
Day 2 was all about making our zines. In the morning, each group attended two sessions — one with Leo Impett and another with Martin Rowson – to gain further inspiration in our zine making endeavours.
