Zine Review: Property Zine 1.2 (Fall 2016) & 1.3 (Winter 2016)

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Property Zine 1.2 (Fall 2016) & 1.3 (Winter 2016)
Various contributors
@propertymaterials
Facebook.com/propertymaterials

I was going through my zines earlier today when I realised that my review for Property Zine 1.2 was long overdue – I’d already received the winter issue! And while I make no promises in terms of review timelines, I have been wanting to review these zines… and I realised I had an opportunity.

One thing I really love is watching a zine series grow and change. Whether one person or a collaboration of people is putting something together, I think it’s great to see the evolution of a project.

That’s why, my friends, today we get a two-in-one special.

Property Zine is a big (a bit bigger than an A4, I reckon), glossy zine with the feel of – you guessed it – a magazine. But you know me! I’m not one to judge, and a lack of gloss does not a zine make. It’s glossy, wonderful, and an art zine.

The fall issue is filled completely with art. Save for the cover and the first page, there is nary a word to be found. (Or contact details, but it’s well made up for in the winter issue.) What you will find are vibrantly-coloured images, photographs, and painting, all utterly well suited to the size and the gloss.

For me, art is like poetry: I don’t often ‘get’ it, but I know what I like despite a lack of being able to articulate it. No, not every piece is to my taste, but there is truly something special (to me) about the pieces I like.

The winter issue (as compared to the fall issue) is what inspired me to do the double review and take some time to talk about the evolution of a zine series. This issue has at least double the pages and includes written pieces and poetry while still sticking to its foundations in art. It lands firmly with both feet steady on the ground, thick and heavy with the confidence of a zine that is willing to expand its ideas about content.

The beautiful thing about varying your content like this is that it makes it appealing for a flip-through as well as coming back again to take a closer look and read the written pieces. I have nothing against things that stay strictly to their niche, but variety provides a much bigger net of possibility.

Also, I must say it was so much fun to see names that I know in a zine like Big Tight and Fishspit. That made me feel a sense of community in a way that I haven’t for a long time. I also loved seeing their work as presented by someone else.

All up, I’m really excited to see where Property Zine goes and hope to participate in future issues.

*Full disclosure: A piece of my art is in Property Zine 1.3