ZINES OF THE ZONE is a nomadic collection of self-published books & fanzines photo-related.
It is a non-profit project from France, visiting the far corners of Europe
in order to meet artists, zine-makers and small publishing houses.
We organize book-exhibitions and we share, more largely,
the practice of DIY through different installations and events.
A FOCUS ON SELF-PUBLISHING: GIVING VISIBILITY TO SMALL PRODUCTIONS
The self-publishing phenomenon is a trend that has known an amazing boom in the past decade.
It by-passes the established circuits of publishing and does not only offer pictures to look at,
but uses the book as a media in itself, a field of experimentation.
As these objects are produced in limited copies and as they are sold at an affordable price,
they catch the attention of many a collector and appear to be quickly sold out, out of reach.
Considering this, we decided to create a library.
BEING NOMADIC AND POPPING-UP IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS
Our aim is to build a public collection so that anybody can look at these publications, whether they are soldout or not.
We want to give these objects visibility, and to offer a physical mode of transmission that, unlike virtual plateforms,
would give credit to the physical qualities of the books.
We do not like borders. This is where the idea of being nomadic came from.
Our influences take their roots in the lifestyle of circus artists, tekno travellers, beat generation poets, and gypsies.
We travel with a van, and we organize small tours to display and collect publications.
Our collection started with a big tour of Europe, back in 2014.
During 6 months, we organized around 70 events in 30 countries,
meeting local publishers and trying to get a deep understanding of the self-publishing scene.
PROMOTING THE IDEA OF DIY
We build DIY wooden installations to display our collection and we like to stop in different kind of locations
(art centres, squats, independent galleries, bars, off-spaces, artist-run spaces, schools, etc).
We believe in DIY as a mean of economical, social and political emancipation.
And because DIY is not only self-publishing, we also organize concerts, DJsets, performances, talks and workshops.
SUMBIT & COLLABORATE
Our collection is open for printed-contributions, and we would love to come to your city to display our collection.
If you want to take part to our project, feel free to get in touch.
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