The London Zine Symposium 2008
By Zio
by Alex Zamora
Organized by Edd Baldry and Natalie Ridgway, the fourth annual London Zine Symposium was the biggest yet and saw the event take over its largest venue so far: The Rag Factory near East London’s Brick Lane.
Braving the British weather, an estimated 1,000 zinesters, zine fans and passersby shuffled through the tight lanes between the stalls over the course of the afternoon, spending their hard-earned cash on some of the best U.K. and global indie and lo-fi press, as well as taking part in the many workshops and educational walks around the site.
“We started organizing it in January, thinking about what kind of events and workshops we wanted to have,” explains Baldry. “It just grew from there. It was pretty organic and to an extent now takes care of itself. People know about the event and they apply to have stalls there. It’s pretty easy in that respect, it’s more about fitting all the pieces together.”
Featuring the usual mix of anarchist, gay and political literature, this year’s event also played host to Brighton University’s renowned illustration course, as well as featuring elements from the London College of Communication and some more mainstream yet lo-fi publications.
And Baldry’s favorites of the day?
“I picked up Brain Scan issue 21, which I’ve been wanting to read for ages. It’s by a woman called Alex Wrekk. I really enjoy her writing style and I’d heard good things about the issue. I also picked up Rolling Thunder, which is a bit glossier than a zine. I guess it’s an American anarchist magazine. It’s so well written and beautifully laid out, but unfortunately that was pretty much all I managed to pick up. That’s the problem with organizing these things: you just don’t get the chance to look around properly.”
For a video tour of the Symposium click here.