What are zines?

Let’s start with this fair question… Zines (pronounced “zeen”) are do-it-yourself personal or collective booklets made of drawings, poems, texts, collages, photographs, more texts, or more drawings… (the list does not end there). They are a way to express what you think in an unfiltered personal self-publication and share it directly with other people (or to keep for yourself). Their open approach allows a diversity of valued experiences to be shared, in multiple ways.

Historically, zines have been used as a social action tool. They represent an alternative media, conveying the reality of less represented groups and individuals who may experience stigma from the dominant culture, and advocating for social change. Health-related zines became popular over the last few years, aiming at putting health conditions expertise back into the hands of the people who live them.

We are inviting you to take part in the creation of the Footstep Zines Library! It will be an online library, accessible to all, promoting zines made by people who live with pain and the ones who care for them.

Tuesday 12th October 4.00 pm BST

 Tuesday 19th October 4.00 pm BST

Book your free place

or email info@footsteps-festival.co.uk with Zines in the subject

What to expect?

Camille and Rose and the Footstep team will facilitate a 2-part workshop to guide you through the creation of your own zine. No previous experience of reading/making zine is required, no artistic skills are necessary. Your curiosity, friendliness and a basic pen & paper are all you need (cf. details below).

Session 1 – 12th October 2021, 4:00-5:30pm (up to 1h30)

We will explore what zines are:

– a short journey through their history

– a look at a sample of zines (individual vs collective, small vs big, colourful vs Black&White text…)

– how to make one

We will bring in playfulness with a warm-up activity and take time for you to consider what you would like your zine to be about.

And we will finish with 30min during which you will start your own zine.

You will take it at your own pace and have opportunity to pause. You will have more time on the second session to continue it if you want to.

Session 2 – 19th October 2021, 4:00-5:30pm (up to 1h30)

We will meet again for a second session.

After another free-drawing activity, you will have time to either (1) continue the making of your zine, or (2) discuss in small groups how you would like the Footstep Library to look like.

You will then be invited to share your personal zine in a small group (if you would like to) and take the time to reflect on your experience of making it.

As a group you will:

–          Explore what zines are and discover their diversity

–          Understand why we offer to create a pain-related zine library as part of the Footstep Festival

–          Have a chance to make your own zine

–          Be guided in this process

–          Have access to a ‘safe and care’ space, would any aspect of this experience be triggering for you

–          Share your creation (optional) and reflect on this experience

As a group you will create:

–          1 personal zine each – OR 1 page that will then be assembled to others to create a collective zine

–          the beginning of the Footstep Zines Library as an opportunity to share your voice and the ones of people living with persistent pain.

Photo by Olya P on Unsplash

Photo by Rirri on Unsplash

Photo by pure julia on Unsplash

Attendees will need to bring with them:

Zines exist under many sizes and shapes. The most commonly used ones are simply made from an A4 page, folded into a small booklet. From here, all expressional mediums are allowed: collages, drawings, words, stamps, glitters, etc. This open format makes zines inclusive, there is no need to be an artist to share our experiences and make a zine powerful.

Basic tool kit:

–          A blank A4 page

–          Scissors

–          1 Pen

To this, add anything else you have available and want to use to express yourself: magazines, glue, colour pencil, stamps, glitters, etc.

Please note: if you don’t have the resources and would like to receive a small pack of materials, you can contact us prior to the workshop – please give it enough notice for us to send it.

Resources

If you want to have a first look at what zines are and how to make them:

• health-related zine:
• how to make a zine:
• a bit more about zines:

About your hosts

Rose

Rose Sergent is a visual artist & producer based in Manchester. Her artwork is bold, bright and digital often focussing on health, identity and living with illness. As a producer, Rose has worked with artists and companies across Greater Manchester and beyond. She also runs Drawn Poorly.

Drawn Poorly explores illness, mental health and disability through zines,

workshops and creative projects.  We’re dedicated to platforming experiences, providing space for conversations, connecting people and challenging stigma.

More information here

Camille

Camille is a physiotherapist. She moved from France to the UK four years ago (did you know that pain in French means bread?). She works in a pain management service, at St Thomas’ Hospital, London. She is currently completing an MSc in Physiotherapy & Education at Brighton University. After discovering zines via the Wellcome Collection, she focused some of her academic work on the use of arts in health, and more specifically on the potential of using zines as a participatory way to challenge pain-related stigma.

With her colleague Dr Whitney Scott (clinical psychologist and lead research), they aim at exploring this potential through further research projects.

Camille is interested in physiotherapy professional identity change and is involved in physiotherapists’ training, delivering reflective workshops in France.