Today, zines are a medium that occupies an important place not only in contemporary art and subcultural scenes, but also as a creative hobby.
A hobby is a leisure activity that we do for pleasure, but in late capitalism, the concept of a creative hobby has become distorted. In a period of precarisation and the employed poor, many can no longer afford their free time – this hard-won workers’ right – so they try to cash in on their hobbies as a side income, encouraged by the hustle culture that glorifies burnout. In this way, hobbies quickly lose their carefree nature, and creativity adapts to market demands. At the same time, hobbies experienced a renaissance during the pandemic as a mechanism for coping with the difficult situation, as the desire to create something is natural, and hobbies stimulate endorphins, noradrenaline and dopamine in the brain, take care of focus and motivation and increase self-confidence. However, global retail chains have seized the situation as a new opportunity for mass fast consumption of cheap pre-packaged hobby materials … So, what are your hobbies like today?
At the workshop, we will make an independent A4 zine with our mentor Lara Plavčak on the topic of our own hobbies. The online meeting on the Zoom platform will be dedicated to chatting about hobbies, their meaning, your experiences, discovering new leisure ideas and all such things that make us composed and happy-er. The workshop will last 1.5–2 hours. Introverts are also welcome.
You do not need any special skills to participate in the online workshop, only your hobbies, an A4 sheet, scissors and any materials you wish to create with.
Apply at: ajda.kocutar@dobravaga.si
The number of places is limited. You will be notified whether you have been admitted to the workshop.
Lara Plavčak is an art historian and culturologist. She focuses on zines as a curator, researcher and author. She is a fan of constantly new hobbies.
