Student zine

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Art and Design graduates showcase their journey in an online zine

Our students are always making us #BathSpaProud with their innovation and creativity. Our 2022 graduates from the School of Art, Film and Media and the School of Design went a step further and have helped to create an interactive, digital zine.

Short for ‘magazine’, a zine is a self-published work, often with a specific focus, bringing together information into one place that can be easily shared. Created with designer Grace Kress at Shelby x Studios, the Bath Spa students’ zine aims to blend elements of a guidebook, a prospectus and a showcase. 

Grace was introduced to Bath Spa through a fellowship on a £6.8M Government funded B+B Creative R+D programme, and has worked with The Studio at Bath Spa since 2022. Talking about what inspired the project, Grace said:

“We wanted to create something which reflected the 2022 graduates’ experiences and highlight their brilliant work, particularly as all three years of their course had been impacted by the pandemic. We hoped it would also be a useful guide as they go forwards and begin their creative careers. There are so many useful nuggets of information, so our hope is that there’s something helpful for everyone in there.”

The interactive zine features a wide range of content, including an audio-recorded introduction by subject leader in Art, Dr Natasha Kidd, interviews with Art and Design staff and students, reflections on the impact of the pandemic, resources with clickable links to opportunities and tips on navigating a creative career. The zine also acts as a digital showcase and includes a catalogue of the students’ work.

In her introduction to the zine, Dr Natasha Kidd spoke about creating something that went beyond a standard degree show publication:

“For me the publication had to do something different. It had to showcase the work from their show, but it also had to be useful for the graduates and offer a kind of toolkit for surviving as an artist, designer, or maker in the world.”

One of the key aims was to make sure the graduates across all of the Art and Design courses were represented in an authentic way. To achieve this Grace held online and in-person sessions exploring the theme of ‘navigating the creative industries’ inviting graduates to participate and share in shaping the content of the zine.

Caroline Anstey, Manager of The Studio, said: 

“It’s been so rewarding to be part of this fantastic project between students, the Art and Design teams and Shelby x Studios. It’s great to see how The Studio’s network can create these kinds of opportunities for professional practitioners and students to engage and learn through this type of  live project.”

Grace continued:

“This project cemented my belief in the power of community in overcoming adversity. It was amazing to learn about how the students and staff had navigated the pandemic and the different forms of connection that had arisen out of such challenging times. I was blown away by the talent, the tenacity and all round creativity that the graduates displayed.”

The zine is available online.