Caleb’s zine corner #1
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SEAWEED
Welcome to the zine corner ~ the creation of this column was prompted by our huge box of uncatalogued zines and similar publications. Corner #1 is about SEAWEED, but this style of publication won’t necessarily be the norm for the corner since it is much more professional and is mostly writing as opposed to photos. Anyway, corner #1 here we go !!!!!!!!!!……………..
A few weeks ago we received a package from South Korea containing copies of volume 1 of humongous publication SEAWEED. Emily and I could barely contain our excitement! This issue starts off with a better introduction than I could come up with so I will quote it in full:
“Published in Jeju, South Korea
Presented in East Asia and Further
SEAWEED is the Playground
People Come to Playbor (play + labor)
& Share Their Work
: A Collective Portfolio
A Common Ingredient in Many East Asian dishes
If You Say “Seaweed 씨위드” in Korean
It Sounds No Different from “See With” or “Sea With”
We Want to See the World with You
Connect the Seas with Your Ideas”
One thing not mentioned in this introduction is that the magazine is Very Large which is Very Cool. It is printed in full color (the Korean language version is mostly green and the English version is mostly pink) and contains articles, photographs, and illustrations. As the introduction asserts, SEAWEED is a transnational, multivalent perspective on art and life, assembled from a variety of different writers and artists. Volume 1 includes writing on Sunsook Kim, Indieguerilla, “Gangnam Style”, Washington D.C., Kang Yo-Bae, cutting boards, “Living Tragedies and Dying Workers”, Juae Park, “Owning Art” and much much more. The issue also contains interviews with Kara Walker and David Dixon (Cathouse FUNeral), and illustrations by Adehla Lee and Kang Jun-suk. I think what caught my interest the most (and what I am excited to see in the next volume) were the “column” sections; “Letters to Artists #1”, “PRACTICE Everyday Life, Part 1”, and “Body + Thinking Diary”.
Volume 1 concludes with a note from Nayun Lee, the editor in chief, about creating maps of bookstores and cultural spaces in Jeju, South Korea, and also the origin of SEAWEED.
I absolutely recommend this publication!! We have a copy on display for your viewing pleasure here at the ICP library. However, if you are not close by here are some places to find SEAWEED online:
facebook.com/seaweed.seawith.5
~Caleb, Teaching Assistant, ICP Library
Monsters & Madonnas 