The zine publishing subculture
A band of dedicated people feed a subculture of zine publishing in Hong Kongbut it's a tenuous existence forthese laboursof love, writes Hans Schlaikier
Hong Kong has its share of established publications to suit most walks of life. Readily available and well publicised, they fill the shelves of your local news stand with their glossy covers, colour photographs and chunks of advertorials.
What you may not be aware of are the smaller, lesser known DIY efforts that circulate around town. Although by no means a large industry, there is a small and dedicated culture of independent publishers in Hong Kong.
These "zines" are produced in a variety of formats with varying degrees of emphasis placed on aesthetics. These works are as diverse as their established counterparts and address topics ranging from local music and fashion to international politics.
What they all have in common, however, is that they are produced in small numbers, the result of countless hours of work and unrelenting passion by their creators, not for profit and more often than not produced at a loss.
So where is the drive to continue, week on week or month on month? Expat couple Ailee Slater and Ben Appleby, co-creators of Cloak & Dagger, a zine featuring illustrations and articles, started doing it for fun. Produced in small numbers in a black and white, photocopied and stapled format, and hand-delivered, Cloak & Dagger has built a cult following.
It takes up most of their spare time but Slater and Appleby enjoy the process of creating the zine, including receiving submissions and printing their own writing and artwork. Often humorous and always entertaining, it is clearly the product of their love for art and literature and DIY handiwork.
Another self-publication that was conceived simply for the fun of it is Anna Gleeson's Ha Wan Pao, a self-styled monthly paper about all things beautiful that has only been around for four months. However, it is already receiving plenty of attention, even garnering Gleeson an invitation to attend a book festival in Guangzhou. "People really like it … I feel like I have been doing it for five minutes and people have already heard about it," says Gleeson, who prefers the term "paper" or "magazine" for her creation. Ha Wan Pao certainly does not resemble a DIY production. With its unique aesthetic, owing to its printing process (coloured ink printed on newsprint), the paper is a reflection of the beauty and refinement Gleeson writes about.