(SPOT.ph) We may have seen lots of colorful, glossy hardbound coffee-table books at the recently concluded Manila International Book Fair. But a local specialty bookstore hopes to go back to the roots of independent publishing and celebrate the most basic format of zine-making—stapled pages of manually folded paper with black-and-white print. The first ever Komura; Black and White Zine Fair is happening on September 21, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., at Warehouse Eight in Makati City.
The Black and White Zine Fair is the newest and third edition of Komura;, which is a gathering of independent publishers, specialty bookstores, writers, artists, illustrators, musicians, filmmakers, and zine-makers in the Metro. It was inspired by the Komura Memorial Library in Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore, a fictitious place where the protagonist lives after running away from home.
"Inviting the public to work around this format prods people to ask questions about the zine: What makes a [publication] a zine? Does it have to be printed? When did it start in the Philippines? What is it good for? Why are people, communities, drawn towards it? Why is it important in the digital age? By giving this constraint, we open a discourse," says Komura; co-founder Czyka Tumaliuan. She is also the owner of Kwago—part-library, part-bookstore, and part-café and bar—hidden at the multi-functional warehouse space in the creative neighborhood of La Fuerza Plaza.
Aside from showcasing the latest titles from 42 zine-makers, Komura; Black and White Zine Fair also features talks on zine-making by Adjani Arumpac, RESBAK, and Julienne Dadivas; film screenings of War Is A Tender Thing by Adjani Arumpac and Portraits of Mosquito Press by JL Burgis; and performances by Skymarines, Extrapolation, and Alexa & Daylo. Attendees and exhibitors can swap zines all day, with food and drinks available from SALO, Nipa Brew, Candid Coffee, and Worth the Health Foods.
Komura; Black and White Zine Fair is on September 21, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Warehouse Eight, La Fuerza Plaza, 2241 Don Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City. Tickets, priced at P200, are available at the venue. For more information, visit Komura;'s event page.
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