MANIFEST (zine) #7
Zine, Edited by Jen Payne, 24 pgs, Three Chairs Publishing, 3chairspublishing.com, $8
This seventh, water-themed issue of MANIFEST (zine) sees its creator, Jen Payne, make way for text and art contributions from a number of “friends and fellow creative spirits” who all live or have lived near the Connecticut shoreline.
Two entries stand out above the others. The first is a borrowed painting from Ukrainian photographer and artist Arsen Savadov, titled “Gimn of Poseidon’’ that has to be seen to be fully comprehended: a clown on stilts stands amidst crashing waves, nonchalantly blowing into a lengthy, rainbow-coloured sea shell. The second is an essay titled “ODE TO (A) SPRING” by Tara Buckley that includes some curious water-related facts and wisely reminds us that some natural springs are “a colourful toxic cocktail of arsenic, acid and/or other deadly chemicals.” It’s a welcome diversion from the worshipping of water that tends to dominate the rest of the zine.
As always, this MANIFEST (zine) is expertly built and vibrant from a physical perspective, but its content, on the whole, isn’t as stimulating as some prior issues. It lingers too long on the surface of the water, rather than exploring the depths.