FotP-Swap!

Illustration of a sky scene featuring a snail, cloud, butterflies, heart balloon and goose delivering zines tied up with string bows.

For many zinesters, a huge part of the lead up to the Festival of the Photocopier is making (or finishing) a new zine in time for the fair.

We knew that running the FoTP online wouldn't be the same as the real-life event but we wanted to foster the same kind of creativity and community connections so we created FotP-Swap! - a contact-free community zine swap, that allowed zinesters to still experience the thrill of the zine fair in a COVID-safe way.

The swap meant that zinesters were able to participate in a shared period of creation in the lead up to the fair, even though it wouldn't be happening in Sticky Institute like normal. The socially-distanced nature of this event meant that anyone within Australia could participate from wherever they were - which made the event all the more inclusive for zinesters living outside of Melbourne!

The idea was that the swap would both be a challenge (in that you had to make your own zine) and a reward (in that you'd receive 10 new zines lovingly made by other zinesters in parallel timelines).

In place of the usual shop hang-outs, Sticky Institute hosted virtual hangouts for the participants, so zinesters could connect with each other, ask questions and share what they were working on. These virtual hangouts also meant that zinesters from across the country could connect with each other.

Here are some of the zine covers from our first FotP-Swap! We can't wait to host another swap like this again!

Cover of the zine Physician Heal Thyself. Painting of a character in pain on a black background.

Cover of the zine The ghost in my garden. Drawing of a leaf blowing in the wind on a grey background.

Cover of the zine Web: the craft of isolation. Image of a knitted bird on a pink background.

Cover of the zine Predicted. Mini Comic 01. Drawing of a dinosaur in a swuare on a white background.

Cover of the zine Hourlies. Drawing of a face in blue and black on a white background.

Cover of the zine Bil + Bot. Drawing of three creatures sit on a rug reading a book.

Cover of the zine Delic. Abstract painting in greyscale.

Cover of the zine My dog's got no nose. Collaged image of two men in period clothing.

Cover of the zine Big Sad. Blue outline drawing of a cassette tape.

Cover of the zine The Intertidal Zone. Surrealist drawing of a sea scape.

Cover of the zine VOIDNT 1. Etchings of a monkey in a costume on a white background.

Cover of the zine Monster Energy Vs Monster Energy. Collage image of monsters fighting with energy drink cans for heads.

Cover of the zine Flotsam. Drawing of a monster on a white background.

Cover of the zine The various and non-linear stages of decluttering. Image of Jack Nichilson sitting at a table.

Cover of the zine Magnet Digest. Black and white collaged cover

Cover of the zine Pixel Flower Art. Digital drawing of a yellow flower on a grey background.

Cover of the zine Plant. Black text on a white background. Small drawing of a leaf.

Cover of the zine Rag Dolls. Three hand drawn doll heads on a blue background.

Cover of the zine Parental Sacrifices. Pen drawing of a sacrifical temple on a white background.

Cover of the zine Thrugs. Drawing of a monster on a white background.

Cover of the zine Home sweet home. Drawing of red liquid on a white background.

Cover of the zine TORTURED LANDSCAPE. Text on plain background.

Cover of the zine YOU. Orange paint on a white paper bag.

Cover of the zine Memory Home Object. A polaroid photo of a fabric sculpture on a lined paper background.

Cover of the zine Dealing with Rejection in the Arts by Rae White. Printed text in a handdrawn box.

Cover of the zine Hommes. Drawing of a mans torso on a black background.

Cover of the zine These games do not exist. A photograph of a surburban house on a blue background.

Cover of the zine Little brother comics. Blue text on a white background.

Cover of the zine Watches too much it's just not healthy #2. Text appears in circles of colour broken up by images of people.

Cover of the zine The head while procastinating. Text on a scribbled background.

Cover of the zine Petfessionals. Drawing of a cat fixing his tie on a yellow baclground.

Cover of the zine Pink Dreams #2. Pencil drawing of a turtle skateboarding surrounded by clouds and stars.

Cover of the zine I'm with the bank issue 8. Black and white text collaged on a textured background.

Cover of the zine Fish Bowl. Drawing of a grey fish on a white background.

Cover of an untitled zine that features a photo of a plant that looks like a fern.

Cover of the zine Sticks + Stones + some other things. Pink text and a green crystal on a white background.

Cover of the zine The Longest Night. Drawing of a window at night on a pink background.

Cover of the zine TALL. Gold lettering on a yellow and white patterned background.

Cover of the zine Spirograph Feelings. Spirograph drawing on a white background.

Cover of the zine Curriculumm Vitae. Black text on a white background.

Cover of the zine AnghaRANT Plant Trees. A maple leaf photocopied onto a green background.

Cover of the zine A pocket guide to vampires. Black text on a white background.

Cover of the zine Long Neck Boys. Black text outline on a white background.

Cover of the zine A Tour of the Room. Pink writing on a green background.

Cover of the zine Nice to Meet Shoe. Risographed drawing of a shoe in orange purple.

Cover of the zine Feeling Small Today. Pen drawing of a snail on a white background.