Mail Art Received from Mikel Untzilla in Euskadi

[Thom Courcelle]

Mikel sent a very attractive envelope with his signature carved rubber stamps—I love those pastel España Correos postage stamps!—and a sample of the art form spotlighted by one of the newer Theme Groups on this IUOMA site: “The One-Page Zine.”

The folded-one-piece-of-paper format is a simple way to create the artifact that can also been identified as a “boekie” in various posts on this site. I’ve made some myself in the past: http://iuoma-network.ning.com/profiles/blogs/super-heroes-vs-peter-rabbit

I’m certain many would argue that there is a difference between a “Boekie” and a “Zine”.  There is a definitive “Zine”-culture and community in parts of the United States. When I lived in Seattle several years ago, there was literally a storefront dedicated to the art form—one shop on Pine Street had magazine rack -like displays of short-run and hand-made zines and featured “recent releases” by local artists. And several independent bookstores—including Elliott Bay Books [at one time]—would carry hand-made Zines in support of artists. It was the ultimate “local artist” cottage industry and financial artistic subsistence craze of the 90’s and 00s.

Mikel’s superb example is made into a miniature stamp collection booklet, which seems like an excellent way to display one’s favorite cancelled postage from far-a-way lands. I had a stamp collection when I was a youth, as did several neighborhood children. We would sometimes have trade and exchange gatherings. I was pretty proud of my collection, but while I was away at college, my mother brashly decided she would contribute it to one of her friend’s children who was starting a collection. Thanks, Mom! C’est la vie. Now I just admire various postal stamps from mail artist friends around the world, and Mikel’s contribution seems like a great way to highlight them!

Thank you, Mikel!

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

'Always thought "zine" came also from "magazine" (would that be translated in the USA as MAGAzine, oh???). And these one-page-zines do fall under the ol' Trashpo-Cheryl Penn's category of "boekies". I call "boekies" also the folded zines that are about postcard size, too, though John M. Bennett and others call them "TLP" = Trashing Little Pamphlets". There are fun BonZines from Bonniediva as well, and folded "zines" or newsletters from Berkeley,CA = BAMPFA. Fascinating to see them of all types and sizes in the mail.

[William M]

yeah, that's a good point about word origins. i suspect also how you encounter such publications for the first time or the angle you come at them may influence what someone may prefer to call them.

for me a zine should be photocopied or something similar to be considered a zine (one of the exceptions being assembling zines).

when it contains originals i usually think of it as an artist book - at least that's the umbrella term i'd place them under.

[Thom Courcelle]

Yeah, William, I'm not sure the difference either. But I know, for instance, the TrashPo group refers to them as "boekies," and I think reference to them may have to do with language origin of participants applying closest native words/etymologies.  "Zines" is probably more popular in the U.S.  

Just looked up the etymology of "Zine":

• The word “zine” is a shortened form of the term fanzine, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. Fanzines emerged as early as the 1930s among fans of science fiction. Zines also have roots in the informal, underground publications that focused on social and political activism in the '60s.

...And "boekie":

• boekie (plural boekies)
• definition: small book, booklet

  (From Middle Dutch boec, from Old Dutch buok, from Proto-West Germanic *bōk, from Proto-Germanic *bōks.  Compare West Frisian boek, Low German Book, German Buch, English book, Danish bog.)

In the TrashPo group, the artifice usually is a construction of multiple found papers that are lashed together in folded form or stapled or "whip-tied" for a binding, and then pages are decorated often with "found" things or stampings, etc.. Whereas, zines seem to highlight the creators' drawn art and words—more akin to a handmade magazine or comic book (?)

Like I say, there are probably authorities on the matter out there; I'm simply conjecturing. They remain seemingly interchangeable in my mind, but I'm happy for someone better informed to set the defining rule... Thanks for viewing and commenting!

[William M]

very cool! i always think of these things as zines. though it gets confusing on when it's a zine and when it's an artist book or...i'm not sure it really matters unless someone has separate designations in their archives for work.

[Mikel Untzilla]