Covers of issues #1 through to #11.
Flaps, a collaborative project with Sydney artist Regina Walter (b 1970),
is an A5 black and white photocopied zine, which includes hand colouring,
colour prints and stickers in some editions. Unlike other text-based
fanzines, Flaps is primarily drawings and photographs collected around
a theme. In a sense, the issues form a visual list of a chosen subject.
The collaboration was established in early 2002 with the first issue Boys I’ve Pashed (kissed). Since then the themes have varied widely but focus on observing details of social mores or localities. For example, Nicked (2002) features tales of the artists’ shop-lifting (small time teenage theft); Sad Sack Saturday Night (2006) chronicles the various depressing things you do when your home alone with nowhere to go; Hate Mail (2006) records a collection of nasty mail ranging from childhood and teenage angst to complaints received about exhibited artwork.
In the theme of localities, several issues were created when the artists travelled to separate locations, choosing a topic to observe. These topics create contrasts that not only speak about these localities, but the ways the artists keep their friendship and collaboration active. In Mud Flaps (2002) the VW’s observed by Ormella in Sao Paulo and Rio are contrasted with the Chevy’s Walter saw in South Western USA. Similarly, Pets (2003) compared the dogs and their owners in Vienna, Austria, with those of the United States. In What people are wearing in Kellerberrin/Unwept, Unloved, Unsung (2004) the personalities of a small farming town in Western Australia meet up with the amazing fashions of Tokyo.
This kind of collaboration has allowed both Walter and Ormella to step away from the concerns, both social and material, of their individual practices and find a joy in drawing which connects them to the history of artists’ books and publications. The drawings in these zines have a provisional nature, even though they are complete and seriously worked. However they are altered as objects of art when photocopied and collated into accessible publications. This provisional nature has allowed humour and interaction with the imagined audience to become part of the work. Some issues have called for audience contributions such as Ugly (2004), which reproduced readers photographs of themselves looking “bad” or “ugly”.
Flaps also provides a platform for the artists to contribute to the growing field in Australia of the self-organised, non-institutional art scene. Reflecting on the different kinds of interactions that occur at these zine fairs and counter culture swap meets, the duo produced an issue that focussed on the anxiety of watching an audience reject their work. Knocked back (2006) features drawings created from video of people at the This Is Not Art zine fair in Newcastle NSW, who perused then dumped Flaps back to the table.
The forthcoming Flaps titled Architecture in Smithfield, with be the 15th issue in the series.
Faux Flaps
Faux Flaps
Issue #5, 10 August 2003, black and white photocopied, colour inkjet and
hand coloured pages, A5. Limited edition of 66.
Things that look like flaps... drawings and photographs
Flouro Flaps
Flouro Flaps
Issue #3, 1 October 2002, black and white photocopied and
hand coloured pages, A5. Limited edition of 88
Drawings based on photographs of our girlfriends who where too young in the 80’s to feel embarrassed about the return of 80’d fashions in there op shop outfits and photographs from the archives of those of us old enough to have made bad fashion mistakes in our late teens. The above pages show Jane, Jasmine and fashion queen Danae.
Mud Flaps
Mud Flaps
Issue #4, 22 February 2003, black and white and colour photocopied
pages, A5. Limited edition of 77
In 2002 Regina went to Utah and Los Angeles and I went to Sao Paolo and Rio. I photographed the multitude of VW vans still in production in Brazil and Regina the impressive Chevy’s of the US.
