Copy Machine BlogAll you need to know about copy machines

Since the invention of the printing press, dissidents and marginalized citizens have published their own opinions in leaflet and pamphlet form.

When Xerox copy machines hit the scene, it was only natural that certain employees in offices lucky enough to have them would seize the opportunity to utilize the technology for such purposes.

In the 1970s, the DIY aesthetic of punk created a thriving underground press, printed cheaply on photocopy machines.

In the 1980s, the concept of zine as an art form, rather than a fan magazine, took root.

The early 1990s saw an explosion of zines of “a more raw and explicit, more confrontational and definitely more gender-balanced nature.” How surprised would you have been to discover that the seemingly demure secretary you hired for the summer was staying late to make and assemble a small periodical called Riot Grrrl?

The presence of zines faded toward the late 1990s, concurrent with the rise of the internet. But print zines still exist, and are cherished by zinesters, DIY enthusiasts and dissidents all over the world.

In 2002, artist Delia Robinson made an accidental discovery: “A piece of paper run repeatedly through the color copier with sequential images acquired rich colors and a shiny patina. The results are random as colors combine and images meld in unpredictable ways.”

Here is how the artist describes her take on the world:

My view is bioptic, cross-eyed, fragmented, salty, bitter, yet still hopeful. My work is overloaded with information, stories, color, and images– most original, some pilfered, some in transition.

We think it’s quite beautiful. See more of her work, copy machine and otherwise, at her website: www.delia-robinson.com