The Hafnar.Z!ne Series Complete for 2024
- chris-marcatili
- Dec 20, 2024
- 3 min read
Back in February 2024, when I first arrived at Hafnar.Haus – the biggest creative community/co-working space in Reykjavík – one of the first things I noticed everywhere were these small yellow paper packages, bundled up and free to take. The first issue of the Hafnar.Z!ne series, or HZ1: The Issues Issue. This wasn't your average newsletter.
I was told this would be the first in a series of zines to be produced across the year. One of the things that makes this zine special is its democratic credentials. Each issue has a theme, suggested and voted for by the community itself. Everyone at Hafnar.Haus was free to submit words, images, even music. Each was a collaborative project produced collaboratively in-Haus (so to speak), everything from the design, printing, folding, and distribution were all managed collaboratively.
When I got my hands on Issue 1 I considered it a sign, of sorts. I'd just arrived in Iceland and discovered this creative community just in time. I decided I wanted to be involved in the series. For Issue 1, I'd be an audience member. For Issue 2, a contributor. For Issue 3, I'd help with production and so on. But I never imaged that by issue 9 I would be the editor, and would have invested so much time, passion, and energy into this series.
Across the nine issues of 2024 we had nine themes. From the final issue, a little text I wrote:
The journey through our issues reads like a map of the human experience. The issues of the first zine led to the burnout of the second. We explored the sacred and profane in rituals. We plumbed the depths of our memories. Then we contemplated disappointment and beauty in nothingness. With plants we grew wild. We embraced the raw energy and vulnerable human connection through sex. We witnessed transformation in our pages and in our community.
Each issue was launched at a special event, from the Reykjavík Art Book Fair, to the International Zine Fair, Christmas Market, Menningarnótt (Culture Night), and more. Some were even design interventions, were people could witness and even participate in the construction of zines on the spot.
The beauty of HAFNAR.Z!NE lies in its inclusive approach to content creation. Community members can contribute through any medium that speaks to them – whether it's traditional text and images or innovative digital content accessed through QR codes. As someone passionate about sustainable publishing, I'm particularly impressed by how each issue's design elements, materials, and distribution methods are thoughtfully aligned with its theme.
Alongside the creation of the zines was also the establishment of the Open Studio. This special little nook of Hafnar.Haus includes bookbinding studio, library and gallery. It's more than just a workspace; it's an invitation to the community to transform their creative visions into tangible reality. And in the heat of zine-production it became a mini-hub for people to gather, chat about projects or life, even listen to music or eat pizza.
What emerged from the production of the zines became a vibrant placemaking tool. Not just within the Open Studio, but by bringing together many members of the Haus together on diverse creative projects. The zines themselves are just a representation of the people who fill their pages and bind them together.