FESTIVAL OF THE PHOTOCOPIER
Over 5000 people keen on Zines gathered to see and greet their favourite Comic makers and Zine creatives on Sunday the 11th of February.
Festival of the Photocopier is Sticky Institute’s annual event which launches new Zines and is held at Melbourne Town Hall. It’s big on the map of artistic and creative events in Melbourne and attracts not just Zine makers in Melbourne but as far afield as Brisbane. They gather their creations for sale, made from Xerox copies, Riso press and others which are hand made and bound. Stapled personal treaties on life and loves and everything in between. Anyone can make a Zine about, well, anything.
Bianca Martin, one of the Zine creators present at this massive DIY celebration and long term volunteer at Sticky institute, spoke with The Melbourne Critique at the FOTP Fair about the groundswell of support to save the Campbell Arcade – Sticky’s long term home, from the proposed works as part of the new Metro Tunnel.
“I think it’s terribly irresponsible that they are even considering knocking down a heritage listed site, it’s not even a facade.” She says that this is hypocritical of City Of Melbourne: “If it was the MCG they would be bending over backwards to protect it. Sticky has been making a noise since the end of last year and we will not be going down quietly.”
“Everyone we know is using all their skills to cause a fuss to stop this from happening.” She adds that “City of Melbourne continuously comes back to us to say nothing can be done. But Sticky was a huge factor in UNESCO granting Melbourne a listing as a Unesco City of Literature so to use us and then knock us down, is pretty rich” she says.
Sticky Institute are to be evicted from their space in the Campbell Arcade in 2019, and that this spells the end of an era not just for Sticky but for all creatives and Zine lovers in the city of Melbourne.
Bianca says: “Sticky will always exist in some capacity, we will figure something out, and continue to supporting Zine makers and artists.”
As part of Festival of the Photocopier 2018 on Tuesday, Feb 13th there will be a special screening of a short doco entitled “Save Campbell Arcade” by comics and film maker David Mahler. The film looks at Metro Tunnel’s attempts to demolish parts of the Heritage Listed Campbell Arcade, including Sticky Institute, and the resistance and outrage the proposal is facing from the local community. The film is being screened at Loop Bar, and will followed by a question and answer session with David and assorted Sticky volunteers.
