Artists to unveil zine machine

WHILE vending machines are normally known for stocking food, two artists are getting ready to introduce the community to one designed for a different purpose.

This weekend, visual creatives Tegan Crosbie and Siobhan Finn will unveil their refurbished vending machine which will house a rotation of locally made, small run and often hand-crafted magazines, called zines.

Crosbie said an aim of the project is to showcase Ballarat’s growing zine culture.

“It’s kind of like a miniature gallery with a focus on bringing communities together and sharing something really fun,” she said.

“We’re hoping that it introduces people to zines and that it encourages people to have a go and make one.”

The first rotation’s 14 artists will be on display in the machine, named Fontella, where they will each get a full row until Thursday 4 January.

The pair began collaborating when the latter started co-hosting events at Crosbie’s The Workshoppery art space at Barkly Square earlier this year.

The project was born through Crosbie’s love of Japanese culture, where vending machines are a prominent staple, and Finn’s interest in zinemaking.

Fontella was discovered through Facebook Marketplace, after which the duo collected the vintage machine from the other side of Melbourne.

“It was the loudest travel home because she was rattling the whole way,” Crosbie said. “We had the radio on really loud, and the song Rescue Me by Fontella Bass came on.

“We were like that’s the name because we were rescuing this old vintage vending machine and it worked with the word font.”

The machine’s refurbishment took about a month with artwork designed by Finn and wheels added for potential repositioning around Barkly Square.

Crosbie said she and Finn have plans to broaden the project.

“We’ve also got some ideas of asking groups from the community to have a zine that brings awareness to their area,” she said.

“We’re also in talks with international zine people to hopefully bring a curated collection to Ballarat.

“We’ve hopefully got a collaboration with the library and youth bodies with this in the pipeline, potentially even a sibling for Fontella.”

The launch event for Fontella will take place at The Workshoppery from 4pm on Saturday 28 October.

To apply for a spot in the next rotation, visit the Fontella – The Zine Machine blog Instagram page.