Found Objects Zine Info Page

Welcome to the "zine-curious" population in South Bend! 

 

If you are totally new to the concept of a zine, your first question is probably, "what is a zine"?  A zine is essentially a self-published work of original material (images, art, written items of all types...poems, puzzles, ideas, cartoons, essays, etc.) produced in hard copy and circulated in small batches.  Found Objects will be produced through submissions collected from community members in South Bend and its surrounding areas.

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So, why is the zine called "Found Objects"? A found object is a natural or man-made object, or fragment of an object, that is found and kept because of some intrinsic value the finder sees in it.  Perhaps the way the sunlight reflects off a building, or a poster at a garage sale that reminds you of your childhood, or finding that the leaves have fallen in a certain pattern.  It can be beautiful, thought-provoking, unusual, humorous, or just weird. 

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Why put a specific focus on found objects?  Sharing found objects requires reflection, and often vulnerability.  I requires the finder to pause - a word that many of us were unfamiliar with previously, but have found ourselves doing more and more frequently these days.  Sharing found objects with others invokes thought and conversation among others in the community.

 

Once the concept of "found objects" entered my mind, I began to think about everything differently, from the way I saw things, to the way I interacted with those around me.  As an individual looking to manifest latent creativity within and around me, I found found objects an approachable mechanism for discovering all sorts of things around me - the way a plant grows, a broken lamp, a family of ducks floating on the river, a old box of circuits and wire.  Looking for a way to share my own findings, and curious about those that others in the community might also find and contribute, developing a zine became a clear way to collect and share our mutual observations and creations.

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If you are interested in finding and sharing, more info about how to do that is available in the first post below.  I look forward to hearing from you all.

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 -- Stephanie Rizk, Found Objects Lead Creator