Imagine a group of artists gathered in a tiny but welcoming living room. Some are playing the cello, some reciting poetry, others clutching paintings, sketches and photographs in their hands.
This is how Egress Mag came into being. The DIY zine was started by Emily Kennedy and Alexis Castrogiovanni while they were finishing their masters at University of Ottawa in 2015.
“We had just decided that we needed some kind of creative outlet that was outside of school, just to have something else to sink our teeth into,” Kennedy said.
The pair began compiling submissions by word of mouth from their artistic community, and from friends who felt the same need for a creative outlet. They compiled the zine by hand, raising the funds for printing by holding pay-what-you-can coffeehouses and concerts in their living rooms.
Originally from Hampton, N.B., Kennedy is now the Fredericton face of Egress, moving back to the province to work at University of New Brunswick’s music conservatory after receiving her masters in music.
The first edition of Egress Mag, titled “Human,” came out while Kennedy and Castrogiovanni were still both in Ottawa. The second edition, “Change,” was released on Jan. 21. Twin launch parties for “Change” were held in both cities the same day.
The parties were linked with an interactive installation. Attendees in Fredericton and Ottawa pick random conversation topics from a jar, and go into a private booth where they Skype with strangers who are attending the twin event in the other city for 15 minutes. Kennedy said it was about creating a moment, a feeling of intimacy and secrecy between two strangers who will never meet again.
“The idea is that it’s supposed to be a very intimate and open experience, and then you leave it at that, it’s a moment,” Kennedy said.
The Fredericton event was held at Shiftwork studio, a local art collective on Queen Street. The event began with a night market where local artists sold their work.
Melissa McMichael is a student at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design. Her company Mermaid Boyfriend makes everything from knitwear to embroidery, but the most unique items she offers are her shibori-dyed apparel.
Shibori is a Japanese dying technique reminiscent of tie-dye, but much more complex. McMichael uses things like bleach and safflowers to create her dyes. Her most uncommon pieces were shibori underwear in a very pale pink dye, which she says she got from soaking and rinsing dried safflowers for almost a full day.
“I like making weird stuff, like I like making hats and regular knitwear, but sometimes you want to make neckties and underwear,” she said.
Kennedy said she and Castrogiovanni will be collecting submissions for the third edition, “Resilience,” until Feb. 18. Submissions can be sent to [email protected].
For them, Egress Mag isn’t about money or growing as a publication. It is a passion project to provide a place for artistic communities to share their material.
“The definition of the word egress is a way out. So our namesake is kind of our philosophy,” Kennedy said.
Copies of Egress Mag can be found by messaging the Facebook page or emailing [email protected].
