Books, fanzines and other independent publications

A journey through the 'scene' of Oporto

Abstract

On the verge of the 21st century, there seems to be an emerging underground cult around the production and consumption of fanzines and other self-publishing publications, especially in the field of illustration and graphic design. Inspiring, on the one hand, by the ethics and aesthetics of DIY from punk / hardcore and, on the other hand, in the officinal tradition of the graphic arts, many contemporary designers and artists seem to be interested in using the fanzines and independent publications as a means to express and disseminate their work. They are low-cost publications, designed, produced and distributed on paper - often using a variety of production techniques (photography, illustration, collage, etc.) and reproduction (photocopying, screen printing, etc.). Following these recent trends, in recent years, also in Portugal, a growing number of designers and artists have been creating and publishing various editorial works according to a DIY logic. After a brief international background, this article focuses on the Portuguese reality, seeking to understand the main trends present in fanzines and other independent self-publishing publications strongly linked to the artistic fields of drawing and illustration and graphic design. We focus on the analysis of the specific context of the city of Porto (Portugal), highlighting the circuits of production, distribution and consumption of this type of objects, as well as their connections with the growing interest in the city as a space of creativity emerging around A 'move' DIY.