In one of our first zine workshops, participants were asked to imagine finding a message in a bottle from another world or space. The message reads “the best things come and you are the one who will do them.” These zines contain small moments of joy, hope, and projections for the future. These zines act as statements of intent, affirmations, and imagines our messages in a bottle traveling further down the river to people we haven’t met yet.

 
 

Monica CF, Dykes in lockdown

“Dykes in lockdown shares the day to day in a random week with my girlfriend during lockdown. I wanted to share our experience with all the queers and perhaps raise a laugh or two.”

Read the full zine Dykes in Lockdown using the arrows below

 
White zine cover with the title Dykes in Lockdown in red and black text.
Black and white illustration of two small figures holding hands at the top of a mountain cliff. The text above the image reads "Monday". The text below the image reads "Can you feel the precipice?"
Black and white illustration of a bottle of wine. Above the zine is the text "Tuesday. Below the image the text reads "Can you bring the bottle opener?
Black and white illustration of a close up of an eye. Above the image reads "Wednesday". Below the text reads "Where are my eyedrops?"
Black and white illustration of a phone screen showing a meme of Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair kissing from the film Cruel Intentions. Above the image is the instagram handle Gay_Girls_Inc. The meme text reads "Waiters will see you and your p
Black and white image of two women wearing masks. Above the image the text reads "Friday." Below the image reads "Did you bring your mask?"
Black and white illustration of two mice in bed under a blanket. Above the image the text reads "Saturday". Below the image the text reads "What day is it today?"
Black and white illustration of a sleeping cat. Above the image the text reads "Sunday." Below the image the text reads "Did you buy the cat food?". The image is the final page of the zine with a credit note: "Drawn in Nov 2020. Monicacrusellas.com

Marcin Palmaka, Unknown Vibrations

“Technology is shaping us, but what form do we want to take?.”

Black and white double page spread featured a combination of collage and illustration. The image appears to be a flying figure like a superhero, part human and part robot. Wires and machinery fill the frame and collage text overlays the image althou…

Jael de la Luz, Un mensaje en la botella/Message in a bottle

Jael de la Luz hosted two of the zine making workshops as part of the Message in a Bottle project and asked participants to imagine radical futures, to send messages to ourselves, and to think of how we imagine social change to look like. Jael introduced participants to the radical diy histories of zines, and ways of using cheap diy cut and paste techniques to self-publish thoughts, ideas, and manifestos. Jael’s own contribution to the exhibition and zine is below in Spanish and in English and includes affirmations for queer people of colour and dissidents.

Collage of two hands holding a jug with spirals and smoke pouring out. Next to the bottle are the words "Un mensaje en la botella."
A double page spread. On the left page an image of a person with black hair, their nose and mouth obscured by an illustration of a blue boat sailing on black waves. Handwritten Spanish text appears above the illustration and reads " Si eres persona d
Collage image of a hand holding a tin kettle. Above the image the handwritten text reads "Message in a bottle."
Double page spread providing English translation of the previous page in Spanish. Illustration of a figure with black hair, their face is obscured by an illustration of a blue boat sailing on black waves. Above the figure the handwritten text reads

 Carla, Covid(a)

“It’s my first ever zine, very amateur but I found the process quite therapeutical. Reflection of life during Covid.”

Front cover of a zine. A white page with a blue border coloured in felt tip. The middle of the page features the title COVID(A) with Covid written in blue felt tip and (A) in red.
Left page shows an illustration of a person with long black curly hair wearing a blue face mask. The text above the image reads "Covid has meant more." The right page continues with the text reading "Death, fear, dread, inequality, hardship, chaos, p
The left page shows a felt tip line drawing of a flower with green stem and grass, pink leaves, and a blue centre with text which reads Covida. The text around the flower reads "Life after Covida could mean." The text continues on the right page and
Felt tip illustration of two pink hears. The text around the illustrations reads "The system has failed us. Let's build a fairer world after Covid."

In Covid(a), Carla imagines a future world where current systems are replaced with mutual aid, solidarity, and social change

Fallon X Gold

Black and white collage of ripped and torn text and images. These collaged pieces of paper are taken from Queer Zine Library: Year 1 zine. The ripped sections of the zine have been arranged in the shape of a bottle with a flame at the top. Next to t…

“I think of the feelings that soared through me when I first read a queer zine. The explosion of creativity, political energy, personal revelations and community connections they foster. I think of all the queer zines I’ve ever seen and held in my hands and how they move me like nothing else. I think of how they can fuck shit up and how they can transform. I used a copy of the Queer Zine Library Year 1 zine to collage an exploding Message in a Bottle. It encompasses how the existence of a queer zine library makes me feel and how I see it spreading its power through every library, every reader and every contributor.”

— Fallon X Gold

Previous

Belonging
Next

The zine