Zine making at Old Parliament House: starting a conversation about democracy

Posted on 30 June, 2014

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In its most basic form, a Zine is a hand-made, self-published magazine that is distributed in limited numbers. A zine can be anything its creator is interested in; often containing photos, cartoons, reviews and personal essays by the Zine maker.

Free from the constraints of censorship and advertising that often dictate the content we see and read in mainstream magazines, zine makers don’t expect to make a profit from their product. Instead, they are driven by the opportunity to express their ideas and connect with individuals who share similar interests, thoughts, taste and values.

I first encountered Zine culture in my early teens when I became fascinated with the Do-It-Yourself and Riot Grrrl movements of the early 90’s. I was so inspired by the young women who took the time to cut, paste and Xerox their independent thoughts onto paper for younger girls like me to own and cherish. Through zines, I was able to explore and better understand issues that weren’t often discussed by the mainstream media at the time.

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It was always a plan of mine to make my own zine, but I lacked the confidence and the know-how to follow through. Perhaps if there had been a space like the  Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD) Zine Lounge for me to visit and create in, I would have mustered the courage and gone through with it!

Partnering with the Canberra Zine Emporium, the Museum of Australian Democracy’s Zine Lounge has been set up for young people to meet, read, create zines and start up a conversation about democracy.  With experienced volunteers from the Canberra Zine Emporium facilitating the school holiday programs, its very own Zine manifesto and an array of creative tools for making your own zine, MoAD’s Zine Lounge is very much its own contemporary, creative space within the 87-year-old walls of Old Parliament House.

The idea to set up the Zine Lounge first came about when the museum was looking to put together an exhibition that would invite more young people into the building. With the success of museum’s Behind the Lines exhibition amongst older crowds and the construction of an interactive exhibition for small children underway, there was a gap the list of programs that specifically invited young people to engage in conversation and learn more about democracy within contemporary Australia.

Director of the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, Daryl Karp confessed that although she was sceptical of the idea at first, the success of the Zine Lounge has surpassed her expectations and she couldn’t be happier that the museum took on the challenge.

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“We realised that different communities had different ways of expressing themselves and different needs, and one group that we just weren’t able to connect with was the young adult group.” She said, “I was really sceptical as to how people would deal with the blank page and how we would deal with what young people would actually say, but it’s been fantastic. The level of intelligence and humour [in the Zines] and the leadership from the Canberra Zine Emporium has been fantastic”

On any given day in the MoAD Zine Lounge, visitors to the museum are able to visit the lounge, hang out and read one of the many zines already on display, or make one of their own.

MoAD’s Community Learning Officer, Nanette Louchart-Fletcher, has been working with volunteers from Canberra Zine Emporium to ensure the Zine Lounge is a place that will unleash people’s creativity.

“For people who are terrified about doing something creative and need some support, we’ve put in elements to make it as easy as possible for people to use the space, feel comfortable and make Zines,” she says.

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“People who might be disengaged with writing and drawing suddenly find that it’s interesting and easy. You can just muck around and then suddenly you’ve got a really interesting piece of work and you can exchange that, which is what Zines are about”

With the school holidays creeping up, I highly recommend putting aside a few hours to visit the Zine Lounge with the kids to put pen to paper. You never know, there might be a writer or an artist in the family just waiting to make his or her debut!

The Zine Lounge at the Museum Australian Democracyat Old Parliament House is open daily from 9am-5pm, with the ability to take on school groups for self-guided zine making workshops

A special thanks to Yasmin Masri, Farz Edraki and Chiara Grassia from the Canberra Zine Emporium for meeting with me to learn more about the program.