This project was great for my students because it offered a wide range of expression: students could draw or write, and those with no vision (my students have a wide range of visual impairments) could type in Braille. We typed Braille on sheets of transparent adhesive paper. This see-through paper could then be affixed directly into the zine – even over top of printed writing or a drawing!

I’d like to share a poem that is printed in Braille inside certain issues of the zines. This poem is titled ‘Oh Sweet Silver Lark’ and it’s written by a very talented high school student named Jasmine. I had students who read Braille read this poem aloud in several classes as it’s very moving and I thought everyone should hear it. A lark is a singing bird.

Oh Sweet Silver Lark
a poem by Jasmine

Oh sweet silver lark
Come sing me a song
But only on a day all people get along
Oh sweet silver lark
Come fly me away
But let my soul not be burned by the sun’s evil rays
Oh sweet silver lark
Who sits in my tree
Oh please, just for once
Can you listen to me?
I wish for a day that we all come to peace
Like a sweet baby bird in an evergreen wreath
Oh sweet silver lark
Come sing me a song
When all people get along.

People see the zine above and say, “The monkey’s upside down!” But clearly that’s the best part.

Inside the two zines above, you’ll find satirical ads for a women’s fragrance called ‘Wrinkly’ and a snack for zombies called ‘Zombie Grits’ (“Made with real human!”).

I always wanted to make a zine when I was in high school, but the kids that were into zine culture were badass punk rock kids (or so I thought at the time) so I always felt that I wasn’t allowed to make one because I didn’t have enough zine street cred or some similar absurd esoteric concept. So this project was a lot of fun for me as well as the kids. The one concept I repeated to them ad infinitum was DIY: do it yourself. We do not have the budget or production abilities of Rolling Stone but we can make a magazine that is cooler in many ways. Especially when you’re a kid, it’s important to understand that you have to make creative things happen yourself, no matter what the limitations are. That idea can be a liberation and a blessing.

The ‘Robozine’ has a multiple choice quiz in the center called ‘What kind of robot are you?’ Questions include “When you go to the beach what do you feel like doing?” [answer choices: (a) Cleaning up after people (b) Making the beach all dirty (c) Making food for people] At the end of the quiz, you find out whether you’re an Earthobot, an Eatobot, or a Destroyobot.

]]> http://www.magneticstate.com/blogdept/2010/lighthouse-zine-project/feed/ 0 http://www.magneticstate.com/blogdept/2010/magnetic-state-on-facebook/ http://www.magneticstate.com/blogdept/2010/magnetic-state-on-facebook/#comments Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:42:30 +0000 Dan Redding http://www.magneticstate.com/blogdept/?p=563 Join Magnetic State on Facebook… or PERISH! The page is at facebook.com/MagneticState. In all seriousness, I’d love to see you there, and I hope to make the page an engaging and fun experience in addition to posting design updates. I held off from putting Magnetic State on Facebook until now because the world is glutted with Facebook pages and most of them are a dull, lifeless wasteland. Plus, who really cares about Johnny’s Generic Cabinets Incorporated except for Johnny himself? I want to do it right, and I want to provide interesting content and discussions for people who are interested. One feature I’m excited about is called ‘retitled.’ You’ll see. So stop by! Thanks a bazillion.

Yesterday, I held a photo shoot in a mannequin factory for musician Boots Factor (of Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers). It was a very exciting adventure; here’s a sneak peek.

My great friend Ryan Germick drew this ‘Party She-Wolf’ in my honor. This drawing is a reference to the Magnetic State ‘Party Werewolf’ t-shirt design, which you can purchase to support the World Wildlife Fund.

Above is the flyer I designed for the 2010 Beard Ball, hosted by my friends at Build-A-Beard. The show is a benefit for RightRides, which is an organization that provides safe late-night rides home for women and LGBTQ individuals. Cool cause, huh? I thought so too, so I had my design fee donated to the organization. Hope to see you at the show!

Last year I heard a quote that really struck a chord with me. That quote was “To do well by doing good.” I don’t have the means to radically change the world at the moment, so I am starting small – with charitable t-shirt sales.

I have chosen to donate to the World Wildlife Fund because it is a charity with a great reputation working toward a number of great causes. Another reason is that WWF is committed to slowing the potentially devastating effects of climate change. This is an issue I am passionate about. According to their website, “Climate change has been a priority for WWF for over 20 years as climate disruption poses a fundamental threat to the vulnerable places, species and people WWF seeks to protect.”

The knowledge I’ve gained about climate change over the years has come from a variety of sources, but one source that left a lasting impression on me was a short documentary called The Possibility of Hope by director Alfonso Cuarón. The film can be seen here on Youtube or on the DVD special features of Cuarón’s film Children of Men. The Possibility of Hope consists primarily of leading philosophers and intellectuals weighing in on a variety of subjects pertaining to Earth’s future. To be blunt, the film’s vision of the possible effects of climate change on the future of human civilization is terrifying. However, I prefer to focus on the positive side: the hope.

“The magic is to turn a desperate situation into a new beginning,” says Slavo Zizek in The Possibility of Hope. Another person who has had inspiring things to say about the hope for counteracting climate change is Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham – a.k.a. the United Kingdom’s ‘Voice of Business’ – whom I had the pleasure of hearing speak recently. “The answer to this issue is science,” he said of climate change, before going on to remark that leading economies of the world like the U.S. and the U.K. got wealthy creating this problem during the last century, so we should lead on solving it. He has also said, “the next Bill Gates will be the deliverer of a highly technological solution to some of our climate change challenges.” We might be in for a very exciting century.

This is an issue that I will continue to write about and work towards in the future. Thanks for reading. I hope you’ll consider supporting Magnetic State and the World Wildlife Fund by purchasing a shirt. The werewolf has arrived just in time for Halloween, and people who own it love to tell me what a great conversation piece it is!