A collaboration between independent bookstore Kwago and co-working and event space Warehouse Eight, Komura; is organizing its first ever Black and White zine fair on September 21, 2019, 11AM-9PM at Warehouse Eight, Makati.
Komura; Black and White Zine Fair strips down the zine to its most basic, radical format: several pages, printed in black and white, loosely folded, and stapled together. The radical zine format is centered on concepts, ideas, and spreading it to social networks (global and local) without the intervention of digital tools. More than anything else, the radical zine format is a celebration of free speech.
“Inviting the public to work around this format prods people to ask questions about the zine: What makes a piece of publication a zine? Does it have to be printed? When did it start in the Philippines? What is it good for? Why are people, communities, drawn towards it? Why is it important in the digital age? By giving this constraint, we open a discourse,” Kwago owner and Komura; co-founder Czyka Tumaliuan said.
Co-founder of Komura; and Warehouse Eight Kayla Dionisio acknowledges the zine as a medium for democratizing creation.
“Komura; has organized 3 book fairs already since 2017. We wanted to focus and put a spotlight on zines this September because we’ve always been interested in its history and accessibility. We’ve always aimed at organizing gatherings that are inclusive for people both in and out of the publishing, art and literary community – it’s a place to connect, learn, discover and be human,” Dionisio shared.
The zine fair will be a space where artists and creators are free to show and discuss their work with anyone interested. “We have a good balance of vendors from a wide variety of backgrounds, a lot of whom are not even working in a creative field. There are a lot of experienced zine-makers creating new works specially highlighted in B&W and also vendors that will be releasing their first zine and published works in public,” says Dionisio.
Komura; Black and White Zine Fair will be held on September 21, 2019, 11 AM – 9PM.
