Residency 2020: Well Being, Intellectual Property and Zines

Run by Roxanne Peters and Adam

This workshop built on an IP workshop during the 2019 Low Residency. Roxanne works at UAL in the area of rights, intellectual property and ethical practices. Adam delivers zine workshops and puts the outcomes on ual.amazines Instagram account… but only after asking permission from those that make them.

The starting question, What is the value of sharing work on social media? started off a morning considering the implications of showing work online and using others’ work as a source. This was followed by a fast-moving hour making an eight-page zine from scratch using random printed material.

Kelda delivers a zine-making workshop at her primary school about twice a year; it gives children the freedom they do not normally have. Ken Robinson says that we need to think differently about education and go back to a childlike curiosity and not worry so much about how it looks. Feedback from workshops is that it is a nice therapy. 26 students at Conway Hall worked for 2 hours in silence. It was a way of getting ideas out them and relax at the same time.

Zines are a way of reapproaching digital work and subjectively asserting one’s own values.

Example of Intellectual Property Issues

Questions arise when appropriating the work of others; are their rights being infringed? There are cases when this is debatable. For example, working on a manifesto, the public interest may override other considerations. How to identify and balance priorities becomes important in the context of how we treat each other and not compromise one another.

Examples of IP issues

Students creating mashups or parodies using different sources in pop culture wanting to create T-shirts. One student keen to make sure he did not infringe copyright, getting interest from the US market contacted a lawyer. He was advised that you do not always necessarily need to get copyright, under fair dealing which covers parody. One can also contact the copyright owner with the intention of entering into a contract for permission to use their material. The important thing is transparency.

Apparently, you do not own your copyright if you include your work in a zine of your own making and still obviously do not own the copyright of other appropriations.

There is a case of an industry partner having been inspired by a student’s work and not credited the student’s work.

The UK does not have a law controlling image rights law when it comes to the likeness of someone. This, however, does not apply to the image itself.

This can create a problem when using a likeness for endorsement without the permission of the person whose likeness it is. This can lead the public to believe that the person in question endorses that idea or product.

Pertinent Questions to ask myself when summing up my practice

Who or what motivates you to create?

Who are you inspired by and why?

Identify three words/sentences that sums up your creative practice

Zine-making Activity

Talked about the ethics of practice and how it affects others. This is a very large area for discussion (in the context of how do UAL students ask this question).

There is also work being done on unconscious bias in the context of unconscious infringement of someone else’s values or rights.

Regarding Social Media

What is the value of sharing your work on social media?

What are the questions you have about social media and IP

Also look at the idea of value. Explore the word value.

Talked about the ethics of practice and how it affects others. This is a very large area for discussion (in the context of how do UAL students ask this question).

We were given one hour to complete a zine. I was concerned about how I would make a zine on seeing the material available. I took this as a challenge. It required concentration and speedy thinking. It was immensely enjoyable and satisfying resulting in something, considering the condition I am pleased with.

This exercise has made me want to do more of this kind of work and perhaps make a collection of small, informal publications on a variety of themes.