Art and the Self Since the 90's
Working with the curators of this exhibition, this group project will explore themes of the exhibition with the aim of devising ways to engage audiences with the work on display. As a group, you will work with the curators to undertake some foundational primary and secondary research which can add to the overall interpretation of the exhibition.
This is a 8-page mini book consisting which is usually made from a A4 piece of paper to create an A6 size 'zine'. This can then be used as seen fit. This is done by cutting and folding the paper in such a way. This was an idea brought too us by the client. Below is a tutorial of how to Zine comes to life
How Ashleigh & Lavi Worked Together
As we both knew eachother previously from both being on Digital Media MA, we were familar with eachother previous experience and skill sets, this was something we were able to use to our advantage. Although Lavi had a background in Graphics/Motion Graphic, he took on the role of learning about the exhibition and the Artists involved to ensure the information we were communicating was a detailed and correct as possible. Whereas Ashleigh took on the role of creating the actual Zine, with a background in solely Photography, it wasn't something she was exceptionally skilled in but was willing to make at least a mock up of what the client requested. The actual concept of the Zine was something that was brought to us by the client, however they were not sure how to execute it fully but were aware of it's potential.
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Using the information Lavi gathered and the design Ashleigh created, the Zine became something which was fully inclusive, interactive and allowed a generational gap to lessen through the use of conversations starters. However, these were roles which we were happy to waver on. If attention was required in a certain area more, we were willing to lend a hand and our skills to one another e.g. below if a 'how-to' guide of how to make the zine created by Lavi.
Branding
The team up at Longside Gallery were undertandably,very precise on the branding of the show and anything we produced would have to follow in line with that. Having a colour theme made it somewhat easier to know what limitations we had when making the Zine, however we did not have the exact colour code for the yellow when we made the first version so the yellow was slightly off but we just added to the list of adjustments the team suggested to us after showing them the first version when we visited the gallery. They also gave us the accurate colour Dulex Night Jewels 6 (second from the left on the second images below) and the yellow shade Pantone 803U which is shown on the handout on the below. The only complication we had was the fact the team had a team made for the show which we did not have access to so had to improvise by using a similar one available to us.
What is a Zine?
Working to the Client's Request
Throughout the project, we were asked to make adjustments to the zine to either keep in line with branding or design choices which needed reconsidering. An example of this was when we first made our first prototype, we made the children's one from an A4 paper making the Zine A6 which after some discussion, we agreed this wasn't practical for a child who will still learning writing/colouring skills and with this in mind we deciding to make the children's zine from A3 paper making the Zine A5 and much easier for a child to use it. We then decided to make the zine for the more advance audience into the A6 Zine. Below shows our thought process of visual choices of us being aware of the client's requirements and how we changed them in regards to their criticism.
Final Thoughts & Final Zine
Upon creating the finished Zine after getting final critique from the clients, we wanted to reflect on what it was we have made and achieved in this process. It was somewhat simpler to make and perfect and there was not as much back on forth with the client regarding the basic idea as we were aware this was something they were invested in from the very beginning. It then became a process of simply creating that fitting the branding and brought the social benefits they were looking for.
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The Zine's sole purpose was to allow conversations to take place that may not have without the Zine as a visual aid. Even with there being 2 versions, one being for younger children and the other being for a slightly more advanced audience, both include opportunities for conversations to emerge between generations and we feel this is something the Zine truly achieved.
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We enjoyed making the Zine something which could be an enhancement to what was already a beautiful show and allowing the 90's to be a talking point for all, especially for those who had not experiened it first hand. There is a act of storytelling which is enabled by the Zine and it's' significance in this exhibition is fathomless.
