Bloom Publishing | XZines
Bloom is an independent publishing house based in Australia. They have produced various colour zines (and some pretty amazing pins!), but XZines is a fresh new, long-term project, exploring Blooms favourite photographers and turning their work into a collection of zines. Quality paper, black and white detailing and full-page images are just a few of the things you can expect. These aren’t your typical cheaply printed booklets; they’re almost like a new wave of zine. They are crafted and perfected. Because these are monochrome zines, your imagination drifts off, and you begin to see detailing that you perhaps wouldn’t notice with colour.You also really start to appreciate is the lack of writing. We are not told what each narrative is or why the artist has made the work. You can simply enjoy the imagery and begin to create narratives for yourself.All of their zines are stapled, black and white and there are 28 pages to every zine.
There are just 100 copies of each A5 gem, all with a hand stamped logo on the front cover. However, what’s really nice is the use of 100% recycled paper; a company that cares.
This is the third publication from Marcel Rollock who is a New York based photographer. His crafted zine is all about capturing his experiences over the last two years. The different places in America that he finds himself in, the obscure moments and the individuals he bumps into. There is a sense of incoherence; you never know where Rollock will be on the next page or which character he will meet next and decide capture. Yet with all this randomness of events, you find yourself wishing you were there, taking on this adventure as if it were your own.
Check out his Tumblr and previous publications that has more images from his travels around America, some of which are from the zine, but they are all in colour; a complete contrast.
Pharos is one of 79 islands in the Croatian Adriatic Sea and was originally settled by Greeks in 4th century BC. Although, it is now a destination for thousands of tourists who seek picturesque landscapes, hot weather and are longing for insight into the group of people who gave the island its true history.
Ada Hamza lives in Slovenia and not only is a freelance photographer but also designs unique backpacks. As soon as you open up her zine you are instantly exposed to the textures, of which are emphasised by the grain from the type of paper Bloom chooses alongside it being monochrome. You begin to feel the waves flow over your feet, the sun on your face and the ideas of being on an adventure start to appear in your mind. The way Hamza has included blurry images means that you have to spend time figuring out the shapes in order to make the bigger picture. By doing so, the rush of adrenaline from climbing off the cliff and swimming across the ocean, are captured. Her zine is produced incredibly well.
As publishers, you can instantly tell Bloom have spent time carefully selected some of the newest yet most talented artists of the year. There are currently four zines from the XZines series that are available for you to enjoy, along with the promise and excitement of many more. All of the items ship world wide and can be bought easily from their website.
‘Print Forever’- Bloom
Check out Bloom Publishing here, otherwise you will regret it.
www.shop.bloompublishing.com.au @bloompublishing
Written by Chloe Parker @ParkersPhotog @hashtagphotmag
