We invite you to co-create the 5^th edition of Cooltsalon’s international zine, “Cooltzine” – but this time our roles are reversed! The curator (Cooltsalon) becomes the creative contributor, the co-creators (you) curate the content!

ABOUT THE ZINE

“Cooltzine” is Cooltsalon’s zine, born in 2018 and curated as an accessible exposure platform for both professional and amateur creative practitioners, at any career stage. We want it to serve as connecting point and as a shared tangible, material asset in a world of heavily digitised experiences.

The pages are created from visual interpretations of a given annual topic set up in our international Open Call. “Cooltzine” is published only in May, in limited quantities. Following the limited print run, “Cooltzine” is also offered in a digital version, with the limited availability up to a month from the launch date.

Over the years, pages of “Cooltzine” have been made by co-creators from all over Europe, Canada, USA, South Korea, Australia and the UK. You can preview individual profiles of each co-creator here.    

OPEN CALL COOLTZINE 5 – MAY 2022

The 5th edition will keep the collaborative and international spirit, but we’re switching things up: the curator (Cooltsalon) becomes the creative contributor, the co-creators (you) curate the content! If you’d like to become a co-creator of “Cooltzine” vol.5, read below for application details.

The concept for Cooltzine 5

Cooltsalon is an artist-run platform, so our founder will return to the role of the artist and provide a selection of 50 works – photos, illustrations and writings – which will make up the Cooltzine vol.5 “Database”.

Co-creators will use this “Database” to pick the works that will make the actual zine. Picture this – we’ll give you a bunch of Lego pieces and give you the space to create something together.

Co-creators will not simply select existing works, but will have the task of turning them into actual pages of the future zine: the page dimensions are set, but the rest is all participants’ choice.

In the end, the theme and the look of “Cooltzine” vol.5 will be entirely determined by the collective choices of the zine’s co-creators.

The zine making process

Participants will be confirmed on the basis of their applications to become co-creators. Once all applications are submitted, they will be reviewed by our own team and a guest advisor. Applicants that get votes from all of the reviewers will be confirmed as “Cooltzine” vol.5 co-creators.

Co-creators will take part in monthly group meetings, in the run up to the zine’s publication, where collective ideas will be presented, discussed and decided on. A Cooltsalon representative will be present during these meetings, but only acting as a discussion facilitator and will have no direct curatorial input.

Co-creators will be in charge of their individual pages preparation, including layout creation and ensuring they are print-ready. Of course, Cooltsalon’s team will be on hand throughout the whole process – we’re in it together!

Production of the zine and its printing costs are Cooltsalon’s responsibility. We will publish the zine in May 2022, with the limited print run including 1 copy for each participating co-creator, as well as distribution copies for a partner venue.

In the run-up to the publication, all co-creators will be featured online on our website and social media channels. Should any associated promotional opportunities arise (e.g., media interviews), these would be offered to the co-creators as well.    

This process could be as challenging or as exciting as we all make it – and we’re not going to lie, letting go of our curatorial hat feels equal parts exhilarating and terrifying – so we’re inviting you to embrace all possibilities and join us in this experiment!

HOW TO APPLY: 

Please send a short statement, either in writing (200 words max.) or video (2-minutes max.) about yourself, what motivates you to take part and what ideas/skills are you bringing, and what you hope to discover in the process to hello@cooltsalon.com with the subject “Cooltzine vol.5 Open Call”.

Deadline: 30 January 2022. 

BEFORE YOU APPLY – Please read and consider the following:

• You’d have to commit to this as a project and ongoing collaboration, not a one-off entry.

• You’d have to be available between mid-February and May 2022. No physical travels involved, but there will be monthly online group meetings + regular email communication.

• You’d need some degree of familiarity with layout softwares and publishing tools, e.g., InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, for the production of the actual zine pages. However, this is a collaborative zine, so there is also the opportunity for skill-sharing and getting help with this from one of your fellow co-creators once you get to know each other.

• You’d need to have good level of English – this will be the working language for the project, and you’d to be able to communicated with your fellow co-creators and Cooltsalon’s team.

Please also consult our FAQ section before submitting your application.