Account
Zofia SeymourBetty Zine
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2020
Submission # 211
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Output
Publication – Pukapuka
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Kaupapa
Identity – People & Culture
Wildcard – Unique Projects
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Location
National
Project Overview:
A lockdown project to bring a community together. Using social media and inspired by the surf ban, submissions were collected to create a collaborative Zine with the theme: Wahine surf & ocean culture; a collective of writing, photography, art, storytelling and surf.
Challenging the narrative of surfing, and engaging with it as a wider cultural human activity, Betty Zine is a female focussed space to share creative pursuits. Women from all waves of life are brought together by a love for the sea as a source of inspiration, joy and wonder. By the community, for the community.
Kaupapa:
So many submissions were received from the first facebook post that we quickly made a second zine... and then a third... and the project continues to grow with the community championing it from the sidelines. We never set out to be the spokespeople for women in surf, sports, or anywhere else in life but have come to recognise the lack of space for these stories, narratives and duality within most media. To date we've made 4 issues of the zine, hosted a number of meet-up events and two art exhibitions, so we're also more than a zine, a women's surf club or an instagram page- we're a community that does a whole range of diverse and interesting things. While we are often connected by the activity of surfing that's really a tiny part of the lifestyle we're representing.... what can we say, we're really into the ocean and a wider connection with nature as the key source of inspiration and driver in our lives.
Response:
Putting the zine together is the main platform to showcase a community. We don't really say 'no' to anything and try and make sure everyone can be included or represented in some way. We're really just a facilitator to champion these awesomely rad humans.
So the design is never too slick or unapproachable. The whole idea behind a zine is that it is a grassroots, self-published object that makes sharing ideas accessible outside of the publishing industry. We stay true to that ethos with the small A5 format that also minimises waste and makes shipping efficient and affordable. We don't try to be anything, we just use what we've got.
There's really no ego involved in creating this. It's a really humbling experience to design something truly from the community, rather than trying to project your idea onto people. As designers our job so often is to communicate that we are used to trying to imprint information, and this project instead is really just about reflecting it back out. We curate, edit and channel what is given to us freely by our community and they are the driving force behind it.
Archiver’s Response:
"Good inclusivity and engagement"
"The relationship between humans and the ocean is one of the pillar of New Zealand history. Like in many other disciplines, the narrative around surfing is mainly male-dominated.
This magazine is the result of a spontaneous effort from passionate women to create their own safe space and to share their own narratives. The playfulness of the layout echoes the source variety of content within the passionate community."
Credits & Collaborators: Designer - Zofia Seymour Editor - Rachel Lewis Business Director - Stephanie Brookes
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