A photograph by Tom Hines.
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Sunday, July 11, 2010
Photography Club
Interview with JTAY
INTERVIEW WITH JUST TO ANNOY YOU
· How and why did you start the zine?
Amy: I am very passionate about art, and wanted to get involved in the zine community. At the age of 14, I discovered the zine store Sticky and started buying zines there all the time. At 16, I actually decided to do one myself. I ended up receiving positive feedback and a lot of interest. A few months down the track I was getting emails from emerging artists, kids at my high school and even a couple of art galleries approached me about having my zine there. From there it just grew and the reason the zine is still going is because now we have our own little art community. One thing I love about the zine is that if ever I’m struggling with my art or writing I can always turn to the theme of the zine and have something to work towards. Having a different theme for each issue makes me think in ways that I wouldn’t usually and I love a challenge.
· How do you commission contributors?
Because our zine is more about garnering exposure for emerging artists than making money, our contributors tend to be very passionate about their projects. This often manifests itself through lots of 'word of mouth' advertising and social networking- most people find out about us either through friends or through sites like facebook and blogspot. While we don't 'pay' our contributors in the strictest sense, we offer exposure to their work, create a small art community that allows people to be involved in something collaborative.
· What is a typical print run and sales?
We generally print approximately 70-100 copies at a time of one issue, which are then sold over a period of several months, usually 3-4.
· Who is your audience?
Because our zine is all about being part of a community, we find that a lot of our audience are contributors, and vice-versa. It's got this great interactive vibe going on- someone might read our zine one month, like what they see, and contribute the next. We try and make our zine as inclusive as possible, and the open nature of the internet really facilitates this.
· How many people do you send to?
We send free copies to all contributors , usually 15-20 per edition. Retails at all major zine stores in Melbourne, mostly Sticky and Polyester Books, and at some art galleries in the Fitzroy and Brunswick area. In addition, we have some interstate distribution in Newcastle, NSW, plus our online store generates a small amount of international interest.
We also get involved in art festivals such as the Melbourne Zine Fair, art markets, and this creates more 'word of mouth' advertising amongst the art community.
· How many people work there? Is it all volunteer work?
Any profit generated goes back into zine production. This covers the costs of printing, paper, stamps, envelopes etc., so we're not for profit.
We have a team manager that performs organisational duties, and then a creative team of four that edit, create content, and decide the theme for each issue.
Because our zine is all about being part of a community, we find that a lot of our audience are contributors, and vice-versa. It's got this great interactive vibe going on- someone might read our zine one month, like what they see, and contribute the next. We try and make our zine as inclusive as possible, and the open nature of the internet really facilitates this.
· How many people do you send to?
We send free copies to all contributors , usually 15-20 per edition. Retails at all major zine stores in Melbourne, mostly Sticky and Polyester Books, and at some art galleries in the Fitzroy and Brunswick area. In addition, we have some interstate distribution in Newcastle, NSW, plus our online store generates a small amount of international interest.
We also get involved in art festivals such as the Melbourne Zine Fair, art markets, and this creates more 'word of mouth' advertising amongst the art community.
· How many people work there? Is it all volunteer work?
Any profit generated goes back into zine production. This covers the costs of printing, paper, stamps, envelopes etc., so we're not for profit.
We have a team manager that performs organisational duties, and then a creative team of four that edit, create content, and decide the theme for each issue.
Anyone is welcome to come and share ideas with us.
· How/Where do you produce the zine?
Our contributors are left to their own devices, and then send their contributions by email. We then print at Sticky Institute and it is handmade into the final product.
· Do you run the zine out of pure love or do you aim to make a profit?
Well, if we’re doing it for profit we're not doing a very good job.
I think that part of the zine aesthetic is the underground culture surrounding it, and I think that huge success would taint that. It’s like being part of a secret that only a few people are in on. A certain amount of financial success would be nice, but if we started printing a glossy colour publication it would lose some of the grittiness, and alienate people in the process.
We’ve been told by someone that they like our zine because it’s not pretty, and I think that speaks volumes about our zine and what we're aiming for. We're not trying to move huge numbers of units, we're trying create an intimate and honest publication.
· How/Where do you produce the zine?
Our contributors are left to their own devices, and then send their contributions by email. We then print at Sticky Institute and it is handmade into the final product.
· Do you run the zine out of pure love or do you aim to make a profit?
Well, if we’re doing it for profit we're not doing a very good job.
I think that part of the zine aesthetic is the underground culture surrounding it, and I think that huge success would taint that. It’s like being part of a secret that only a few people are in on. A certain amount of financial success would be nice, but if we started printing a glossy colour publication it would lose some of the grittiness, and alienate people in the process.
We’ve been told by someone that they like our zine because it’s not pretty, and I think that speaks volumes about our zine and what we're aiming for. We're not trying to move huge numbers of units, we're trying create an intimate and honest publication.
Melbourne Freeze Frame Project
In 2009 I took part in The Melbourne Freeze Frame Project and have been following the random fun events since. I posed for 5 minutes at Bourke Street Mall pretending to take a photograph on my Diana camera. These events are run through Stefasaurus Productions. STEFASAURUS PRODUCTIONS is a Melbourne based flash mob, activity and event group.
I could not attend this years Freeze Frame Project because I was minding the gallery but it appears they got more creative this year and I hope this continues in years to come! Here is a link that I found on youtube of the event.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oO8Hem52fk
This is a quote taken from the girl Stef who runs these events -
"I'm glad I'm not the only one in this world that enjoys random events, group gatherings & dress ups. You're only as old as you feel. It's good to know that even in this crazy day & age, with all the horrible things happening in this world with money, power, depression, poverty, war... I would like to think that creating these random events help people forget their problems for a little while & smile. If I have achieved that in any of my random events, then I dare say I'm the luckiest girl in the world. ♥"
STEFASAURUS PRODUCTIONS ★ is the official brain behind "The Melbourne Freeze Frame Project 2009", "The Melbourne Pirate Parade Project 2009", "The Melbourne Spaghetti Western Project 2009", "The Melbourne Banana Phone Project 2009", "The Melbourne Bride Stampede Project 2010", "The Melbourne Freeze Frame Project 2010" & with more events coming your way!!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Hello little monsters,
The last couple of months have been so insane for us. I don’t know how we managed to survive university, exams, produce 4 zines AND curate a show all in a few months! Despite the madness, it has been an amazing experience and we look forward to our next show. A huge thank you to all those that came down and supported us! Here are some photos taken through out the show.
Now that things will settle down, we look forward to keeping you more informed about future projects, meetings and zines.
Speaking of zines, if you did not make it down to our exhibition then you probably don’t know what our new theme is all about – the theme for our 11th issue is ‘ANONYMOUS’. During our exhibition we had an activity table (as shown on the right) with a very special submission box. People came and sat at this table and were free to use typewriters, do drawings, create badges, or select anything that tickled their fancy from the collage materials box. Some people even came back with work from home and submitted.Since the exhibition is no longer running, we have arranged a separate email account for anyone to log in and send their work anonymously to that account.
Email: justoannoyou.anonymous@gmail.com
Password: '11edition'
We had a sneak peak through the box and this is something someone submitted -
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Ladies First
‘Ladies First’ is a show that will be opening THIS Friday the 21st of May at Brunswick Street Gallery in Melbourne. I am really excited to see this show for a couple of reasons. First of all, I have volunteered at this gallery a few times and have had the pleasure of getting to witness what goes on behind the scenes and met a couple of artists here and there. As you can probably guess, I decided to do this so I could get some experience for our own show coming up. (I can’t believe it’s 3 weeks away!) Tessa Yee, the curator, is very talented and always puts together a great show. According to the Indie Art and Design website, she wanted to bring together works exploring ideas of femininity - through portraits of beautiful women, flirty girls, cute and kooky illustrations. Tessa chose artists who each have a really unique style, and there will be a contrast between extremely feminine, fariytale-like images, and more twisted, mischievous, images of femininity.
Second of all, Megan Dell is one of the 14 girls in the show. I went to her last exhibition opening at No Vacancy Gallery, and I also attended her session called ‘artist talk’. Here I found out heaps of cool stuff about her life and art. She does a lot of awesome stencil work, one line drawings and paints on skateboards. I look forward to seeing what she puts in this show. On the right are some of her works and to find out more about her, this is her website: www.megandell.com.EXHIBITION DETAILS -
Opening Night - Friday the 21st of May at 6:00pm Finishes - 3rd June at 4pm
Gallery open times - 7 days a week from 10am-10pm
Address -
Brunswick Street Gallery
322 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy
Description
Ideas of femininity come in all sorts of packages - Beautiful and soft, sexy and sleek, wicked, twisted, and dark.
BSG presents 14 female artists exhibiting in 'Ladies First', an artistic exploration of all that is good and evil about the female sex.
Come and see a range drawing, illustration and mixed media works produced by some of the best female artists from Melbourne and interstate.
Featuring -
- Catilin Shearer
- Courtney Brims
- Emma Leonard
- Helani Laisk
- Jessica Stewart
- Jo Dyer
- Josephine Bradley Scott
- Marie Larkin
- Megan Dell
- Meredith Earls
- Monika Viktoria
- Rhiannon Mowat
- Sylvia May
Monday, May 3, 2010
Are invited to Just To Annoy You's 10th edition Zine launch and artist exhibition.
Exhibiting dates are: JUNE 8 – 19
Where: First Site Gallery RMIT Union Gallery.
344 Swanston St, Melbourne.
The opening night will be Tuesday the 8th of June 2010 from 5:30pm
This is an opportunity for all contributors and readers to mingle, get to know each other, have a drink and buy some original art work.
Throughout the week we will have a badge machine available and performance of the spoken word sessions. ALL Editions of the Zine will also be available.
Opening hours:
Tuesday – Friday: 11am – 5pm
Saturday: 1pm – 5pm
Sunday and Monday CLOSED
Opening hours:
Tuesday – Friday: 11am – 5pm
Saturday: 1pm – 5pm
Sunday and Monday CLOSED
Come down and say Hi!
Love from Just To Annoy You!
Issue NO. 10 - YOU
The theme for Issue NO. 10 is YOU!!
That’s right, anything about yourself.
We welcome everyone to contribute to our very special tenth edition. To celebrate, we are having an exhibition, a collaboration of artwork from prominent members of the Melbourne underground art community. This exhibition will showcase the diverse talents of a group of artists, musing on themes of identity and individuality, while contributing to a greater whole, a central tenant of the ‘JTAY’ philosophy.
The premise of ‘Just To Annoy You’ is to provide support for emerging artists and act as a creative outlet for the expression of ideas. We wish to supply a greater viewing opportunity for the wider community and the chance for interaction with original works. We hope it serves as an interactive, educational introduction into the thriving zine culture of Melbourne.
Final Contribution Date - 14th May
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