I have to admit that the third of three zines set to debut at next Sunday's Festival of the Photocopier is the one that's closest to my heart. Followers of my Art Blog will be aware that late last year my partner Shane Jones and I adopted a rescue kitten.
We're forever indebted to our friends and fellow zinesters Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison (who have a furry household of their own, and regularly foster cats for the RSPCA) for rescuing the kitten now known as Alice, her brother and their father from a tightly taped box with no air holes and taking them to the Lost Cat's Home.
The rest of the little family were adopted fairly soon, but it seemed that nobody wanted Alice. Gracia helpfully posted a photo of the orphan on social media, and I found I couldn't get that little face with its wide, inquisitive eyes and glorious Groucho Marx moustache out of my head. Minutes after meeting her for the first time, we recognised her zest for life and a gift for comedy to equal the great Groucho's.
Despite a rocky start in life, Alice finds everything in her world simply wonderful. And so a humble duster becomes a much-loved toy (a far more durable one than her more conventional toys) and a weather-beaten set of wind chimes a musical punching bag.
Alice's Wonderland will be documented more fully in a future post. But there's no need to wait until then. If you're in Melbourne this coming Sunday, 11 February, join the throng at Melbourne Town Hall for the annual Sticky Institute Festival of the Photocopier Zine Fair and grab yourself a copy. The fair runs between midday and 5 pm.
