Handmade hobby thrives despite the digital age

In the online era it seems something of a paradox that the hands-on, DIY art of zine making has experienced a surprise resurgence. A zine, short for magazine or fanzine, is a small-run, independent publication that can be based on topics from the trivial to the deeply personal or political.

"It originally started like people might want to get their word out and it was a cheap way of doing it," says Kitty Cardwell, a member of stencil press collective the Rizzeria. "Originally you'd draw a sketch or collage something and reprint it on a photocopier, that's how it would be done. It's a way of publishing something if you're not a publisher."

Cardwell came to the community only three and a half years ago after quitting her corporate job and taking some time off. Through the Rizzeria she began making her own printed works. She says one drawcard for enthusiasts is the wide-open nature of what a zine can cover.

"You can take anything – what I had for breakfast – then you can put that into a zine. It's just a really cool, quick way to be expressive."

The yearly MCA Zine Fair is on Sunday with a bevy of stalls selling their publications and there are also free discussion panels and workshops. Cardwell is co-running a lesson in collage techniques in which participants can unleash their imagination with magazines, stamps and stickers.

"At workshops often you'll get people who feel like they aren't creative, but it's so easy to get great results," says Cardwell. "I think that's why people are keen [on zine making]. You're really producing your own little artwork."

MCA Zine Fair, 10.30am-4.30pm, MCA, 140 George Street, The Rocks, free, mca.com.au