Plastik is a Dundee based art collective which produces a publication with content generated by an open submissions process. It is published bi-monthly with the next issue due out at the end of August.

Originally a bedroom zine project initiated by Kieran, the members of the collective have had a couple of different iterations but currently consist of Aylson Stewart, Emma McCarthy and Kieran Milne who all study at Duncan of Jordanstone.

I started Plastik in the winter of 2013 as a solo project to pass the time during the winter holidays. I had recently started my undergraduate degree at Duncan of Jordanstone and had a number of 35mm photographs which I wanted to use for a project. The original intention for the zine was going to be a monthly publication of my own work but after finishing the production of the first zine I realised it would be too much work on top of my studio practice. I started a Facebook page and opened the next issue up to submissions relating to the theme of “Animals”. I got a pretty good response but was still having to add my own work into the zine anonymously to bulk out the issues. It was around this time that the Dundee based zine collective Yuck n’ Yum were holding a “Zine Idol” event and one of the requirements was that there had to be three or more members to apply. I ended up enlisting the help of other Dundee based artists to assist in the production of the publication. We didn’t end up winning the competition but the guys at Yuck n’ Yum have become sort of “Dundee Zine Scene” mentors to us. With the other people on board the work load became easier to deal with and we hosted our official launch party at Generator Projects. We had two issues and the event would act as the launch of both the 3rd issue and the collective as a whole. The Plastik launch party consisted of a group show at Generator Projects and included the work of past contributors – if you had sent work for the zine, then you could put anything you wanted in the show, no questions asked. It was a great success and placed us firmly on the radar of the Dundee creative scene.

After our success at the Generator event we became good friends with the Committee of the artist-led space and have used it for pop-up events such as the Scumbag Filmclub and also collaborated with them with a film screening for the BFI Days of Fear and Wonder Science Fiction festival. We have also collaborated with Yuck n’ Yum for the Dundee based NEON festival closing party where we produced a series of publications made during the party which were filled with content from the night and printed on site.

We plan on continuing to produce Plastik bi-monthly and still engage with the arts scene in Dundee, facilitating discussion and engagement with a variety of cultural and artistic practices.

We are currently taking submissions for our 9th issue, the theme is The Body/Bodies and submissions can be sent to plastikzine@outlook.com. You can read past issues of Plastik on Issuu here.

For more from Kieran, have a look at his recent DJCAD Degree Show review on Central Station here.

More: Website | Facebook | Issuu

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Find more zines we’ve featured here.

This collection showcases a selection of the talent Yuck ‘n Yum have had the pleasure to distribute through their zines and projects.

Yuck ‘n Yum produce a quarterly art zine and hold events that are aimed at distributing art outwith the gallery setting.

To find out more about Yuck ‘n Yum go to www.yucknyum.com.

See the collection here.

(originally published on Central Station V1)

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For more Collections we’ve gathered, take a look here.

Michael Lacey is an artist, illustrator and writer based in Glasgow and Liverpool. His comic INNARDS, which has a reversible cover and contains two stories, is being published by Yuck’n Yum as part of their guest zine project.

INNARDS is launching on Saturday 16 June at The Pipe Factory in Glasgow.

Preview more of the work here.

Visit Michael’s website and follow him on Twitter.

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Discover more work by creatives on our creative networks here.
If you have a Flickr, Vimeo, SoundCloud, Behance or Cargo account, connect with us.

This is work is a film by Alex Tobin which was part of his collection for Embassy‘s “meat force” show in 2010.

Alex Tobin is a freelance artist/designer who works in moving image as well as illustration & sound. Alex is also part of the Yuck ‘n Yum collective.

See more work Alex Tobin from on Vimeo.
Visit Alex’s website here.

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Discover more work by creatives on our creative networks here.
If you have a Flickr, Vimeo, SoundCloud, Behance or Cargo account connect with us.

Mexico City is like no other I have ever experienced.   A city of extremes drenched in traditional values yet radically liberalised in recent years. A vast sprolling metropolis with ample breathing space.  The world’s richest man lives and walks amongst some of the poorest.  Perhaps it is it’s antiquity or turbulant past or the gentle hum of the city but something takes hold and resonates inside you long after you leave.

There are over 22 million people living in the city, making it the third largest city in the world.  I travelled the equivalent distance of Glasgow to Dundee, Dundee to Edinburgh, Edinburgh to Glasgow to view one art gallery.  Euthanasia is legal. Every Sunday morning the current mayor, Marcelo Ebrarad, closes the main motor thoroughfares to traffic allowing cyclists and skateboarders free access to the city’s roads. Venders sell hand-cooked crisps (better than Kettle Crisps) on the street corners. Mexican’s eat chilli lime and salt with everything.

Galleries and or sights of interest in no particular order:
Roja Artspace, House of Gaga, OMR, PerrosNegros Palcio De Bellas Artes, Teotihuacán, Arróniz, MUCA, Coyoacán, Museo Frida Kahlo, Museo Léon Trotsky, Ciudad Universitaria Biblioteca Central, Espacio Escultórico, Galería Nina Menocal, Torre Latinoamericana,  Cuauhtémoc, Museo Nacionel De Antropologia, Condesa y Roma.

I also made a zine entitled Chilli Lime Salt which you can download here.

an installation by artist Morelos Leon Celis

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My Creative Scene is an insight into different creative & cultural happenings in cities where your members and readers live. Browse through more insider guides here or contact us to write about the arts scene where you are.

Central Station set up it’s own commissioning strand to grant monthly awards to innovative and risky projects proposed by our members.

Research during the development of the site revealed that what artists, filmmakers and designers wanted most was not promotion, advice or access to facilities but cold hard cash.

In response we launched the Member Fund, £10K that was used to award small sums of cash each month to projects that wouldn’t be supported via traditional routes. No laborious application process, we just asked for applicants to tell us what they wanted to do and how much they wanted.

The Member Fund was judged by our panel of Creative Heads, independent practitioners that included designers, curators, filmmakers and artists.

Although the fund no longer exists, it isn’t impossible that it might just come back one day.

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Take a look at some of the projects we supported and read what they had to say…

Announcement blogs by Censta:
Member Fund: Who gets £1,500?
£1,500 round two
Member Fund 03: Who won by who?
The next Member Fund award
Member Fund winners 5&6

Member Fund projects:
Fools Gold [Recoat]
AGK [Yuck n' Yum]
Brand Vs. Ethos’ Workshop – 200810 [SASA]
Pop-Up Cinema Matinee [SASA]
Pop-Up Cinema Matinee 200810 [SASA
A BIG Poster Club thank you to Central Station! [Poster Club]
I was a child Futurist [ptarmigan]
Boswell in Space…! [Boswell in Space]
Boswell in Space goes to Sheffield [Boswell in Space]
An Unco Site! [Confraternity of the Neoflagalents]
Chez Gallip [Bobby Niven]
Magic Towards Your Face [Henry Coombes]
Norman Hogg: Neomedievalism, From Empire to Kookdom in Three Easy Steps! [Confraternity of the Neoflagalents]

And here are some additional bits to browse:
Q&A: Boswell in Space
Q&A Bobby Niven

Again, two successful projects. Both of them bordering on the surreal. If not the absurd. Here are very brief summaries of the proposals, we’ll leave it to the successful applicants to explain more:

One: Ptarmigan is a multipurpose space in Helsinki. They’re planing a paleofuturist trade show. 8 artists will be invited to interpret and realise an object or idea that is a past vision of the future, found either by searching through the paleofuture blog archives or through their own research. Said trade show will be happening in mid-August and will be streamed live for your viewing pleasure. Watch this space (or the Ptarmigan profile) for more information about how to get involved as and when it becomes available.

Two: Yuck ‘n Yum is a Dundee-based distribution conduit for emerging artists. In September they’ll be hosting their Annual General Karaoke (AGK) – like an AGM. But different. They’re using Central Station to invite artists, musicians and filmmakers to submit a karaoke video which will then be performed on the night [the videos = the agenda]. The result is a large scale performance and networking event, with buses ferrying people to Dundee from key cities elsewhere in Scotland. Virtual and Physical networking collide happily for one night only.

Heidi and I are sat at the front of the auditorium, doing some live blogging. Excuse the typos…

Mel Woods is hosting. As well as being head of various postgrad programmes at DJCAD, Mel’s also an artist. She’s talking about some of her projects, including Serendipitous Arena, a project that starts in June 2010.

First up, it’s Yuck ‘n Yum, who are here to talk about their fanzine. Ben and Gail are part of a collective of four who see themselves as a distribution conduit for emerging artists. They’re based in Dundee. But they’re interested in artists based across the nation. They distribute the fanzine every 3 or 4 months (which people who are here are now looking at.)

They started producting the zine in 2005. It began as a DIY project, but quickly grew. They’re funded through a couple of sources, including the Hannah Maclure centre. All of their issues are online on their website – www.yucknyum.com. And you can download and print them – printing on demand they call it.

Yuck ‘n Yum hold events outwith a gallery a setting. They want to engage with the public outside ‘the white cube.’ They want to encourage up and coming artists to engage and perform. All for a fee.

Projects in the past have included handing out free art, free music. Also a bluetooth project called Turn Your Bluetooth On in Inverness. As part of their Windows in the City exhibition they distributed video and audio art via bluetooth to the patrons of a local carpark. Starting point = stupid supermarket campaigns. Why not work that to make it creative?

And moving forward…next launch is early April. Including a submissions deadline. (So then, to get into the new issue of the zine, you send stuff in by the 15th March. Just send a jpeg to submissions@yucknyum.com. They’re keen on AV too – for the website.) They’re also making a mix-tape for KYTN (Arika’s baby – they’re talking later – watch this space.) Plus Annual General Karaoke’s coming up. The idea: get artists to make videos, send them in, do a karaoke night. Like an Annual General Meeting, except not. Possibly including cash prizes. Oh yes.

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To find out what Dundee Popup was all about or to read more reviews & blogs  from the day, click here.

It’s already looking like a great day and a great turnout of people, but don’t fret if you can’t be here. Along with some of Censta’s members we’ll be blogging and tweeting the day. Watch out for blogs in the Dundee Popup group, follow @censta for tweets, tagged #dundeepopup and there will be photos uploaded by Ross_McLean all through the day and footage coming from Andy later in the week.

Posters by Superfly have been spotted all round the city, and the LTD edition booklets by SooperDD and Johanna Basford are already a coveted item.

The blogs as they come in…… and the tweets for the day.

And here’s the first blog … read all about Public Image at the Cooper Gallery @DCJAD.

Lots of people meeting, eating and blogging in between tours at the Censta hub at the Dundee Rep.

Emlyn Firth gives the lowdown on the DJCAD graduates showcase, including a live link up on Skype.

Our very own Suzy Glass gives her view of the Dalziel & Scullion studio tour.

Ever been inside the coveted doors of Realtime Worlds? Jon Carlos went along, what did he see?

Censta and members got a very special sneak preview of the soon to be re-opened and very much renovated McManus Gallery. Gillian Easson gives you an idea of what’s in store.

Heidi Proven disappeared into the Visual Research Centre at Dundee Contemporary Arts, and thinks you should too.

JonGill took in the DCA Print studio, screen printing, etching, block, lino and litho. Jessica Ashman gave us her account of the DCA Print Studio tour too.

Martin Boyce took members round his No Reflections instillation at the DCA, and explained the challenges of exhibiting the work in two different spaces. Here and at Venice Biennalle. Curator Donna HolfordLovell takes us through the talk.

Superfly has an obsession, find out what it is.

Artists and makers from Handmade Heaven, showed off their wares and Censta members a plenty bought things. See what Hellojenuine liked.

Then it was time for This is… at the Hannah Maclure Centre which went like this:
Yuck & Yum told us about the ways they distrubute art without using gallery spaces
Johanna Basford & Sooper DD entertained us with stories of collaboration
Arika went through their KYTN 2009 plans and how you can get involved
Genevieve Ryan & Jo Swingler talked us through recent illustration & creative writing collaboration
We heard and saw music & animation from Colliderscope‘s Fiona Soe Paing
Georgina Follett let us know about the V&A Dundee developments.

These were covered by Htothep, suzy.glass & DJCADExhibitions.

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To find out what Dundee Popup was all about or to read more reviews & blogs  from the day, click here.