I have no such delusion that physical or print media is somehow beyond elitism and gatekeeping. If anything, it has historically served as a platform in which a certain line of cultural understanding has been formed and enforced. At a time, the journalist served as the mediator of taste and opinion, able to dictate an audience’s cultural worldview simply through the act of curation; deciding what is newsworthy and what isn’t. (1) Personal biases are inherent and accepted; the critic does not exist in isolation.
In the social media age, the role of the journalist as a ‘cultural mediator’(2) is significantly reduced. Now, companies and publishers have a direct line to their audience of potential consumers. The release of information is directly controlled and audiences propagate it willingly. There are potential dangers in the way this information pipeline shields companies from criticism and perpetuates certain narratives.
Broadly speaking, I am pro-curation and believe in the benefits of information handled with human agency. However, I feel the role of a journalist or writer as a tastemaker must evolve to suit the needs of a contemporary audience. Today, design can become the second language of the writer as a means of platforming information; not strictly that which they favour, but rather positioning information in an accessible manner, so that discourses are accessible to a multiplicity of voices and therefore can evolve in a way more representative of society at large, as opposed to individuals following lines set out by corporate marketing and other superseding forces.
I looked to historic examples of publications that curate and platform information in pursuit of some larger ideal, particularly when considering the form of my publication. My starting point was the Whole Earth Catalog, which served as a touchstone document for the American countercultural movements of the 60s and 70s. Though a far departure in subject matter from my own interest, I was drawn specifically to the idea of a document compiling ‘access to tools’, in that a document may serve as a practical starting point from which a reader could seek out localised information. A document that gives readers a sense of agency in establishing a kind of culture?
Examining publications from the Whole Earth network led me to other documents concerning access to technology and ideas. Steve Baer’s Dome Cookbook (1969), a loosely bound newsprint zine featuring a unique blend of printed and handwritten elements (3), suggested to me a kind of folk mindset about technology. Highly complex mathematical equations sit alongside more conceptual ideas about the future of American living in an esoteric yet natural state. The book is low-fi and intended to be copied and shared easily.
From this, I began to consider what a similar ‘folk document’ for video games might look like; a games publication born of a desire to create a vessel for information, whilst situating this information in a space accessible to those outside of the traditional digital discourses. Could access to stories mirror ‘access to tools’? A story and a tool are very different, in principle, though the tools of the Whole Earth Catalog are as much intended to create a certain mindset as they are practical implements for completing tasks.
I attempted to use similar techniques to Baer’s cookbook in producing my first tests, prioritising fast and cheap production above all else. Images were printed in seconds using a thermal receipt printer. Text was hand-written, or assembled using cut-outs.
What have I learned from attempting this? Well, my handwriting isn’t much to write home about.
I think the design was led more by appropriating a certain aesthetic from a certain moment, as opposed to considering the structure of the content. Frankly, I think it would be foolish to be so dogmatic about trying to create a document that is ‘folk’ in its form, when such a thing is greatly ambiguous.
However, what I am interested in exploring further is the idea of a publication that exists on a single page. I used a piece of accordion folded A4 paper to create the layout, considering that a reader would be able to easily scan, reproduce and share the zine themselves. I am considering how a publication focused on a single story per issue could use this format creatively and perhaps the idea of physically sharing an article, as opposed to digitally, will contribute to some kind of intervention in the situation of a discourse.
(1)
Shoemaker, P, Vos, T (2009)
Gatekeeping Theory
New York: Routledge
(2)
Bourdieu, Pierre (1984)
Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
(3)
Baer, Steve (1969)
Dome Cookbook
Albuquerque, NM: Cookbook Fund, Lama Foundation