The ICT4S 2026 Zine Library is an outcome from the ICT4S 2026 zine track led by me. I hosted a range of activities to bring different conversations, topics and ideas to the ICT4S conference through zines and zine making. I built upon Aksel’s and my original vision of Zines at the ICT4S 2024 conference which produced the collection Liminal Excavations. Zine making at the conference is a space for emergent conversations, alternative contributions and a different way to participate.

Why do zines and alternative contributions matter in normative and tech focused spaces?

Zines and alternative spaces for being or contributing at conferences offer ways to engage, reflect or express ideas or work in different ways.

• make space for alternative ways of being, thinking and doing - not every idea or conversation that’s important to have at a conference fits into a paper or other normative conference formats. Zine making offers a different way to engage with a topic that isn’t a presentation, workshop, or panel.
• collage for documenting the experiences and thoughts of conference attendees in-situ at the conference presenting a different snapshot or view of the conference and the experiences of conference goers
• stepping away from the intensity of a conference - zine making at a conference can create a space for quiet reflection, collaboration, and breaks from the overstimulating experiences of conferences.

Zine Collective

For zines at ICT4S I brought together a collective of designers, creatives and researchers to support ideation and the processes that made zines happen at ICT4S 2026. The collective was: Nimra Ahmed, Tim Cowlinshaw, Oana Dumbrava, Lupita Guillen Mandujano, Sam Mann, Clara Riguad, and Josefin Wangel.

A huge credit goes to Annique Lombard, the local conference chair, who handled the zine printing for the conference, sourcing materials and resources for crafting, and helped realise the zine space and crafting session at the conference.

Before the conference: Zine jam

Image Credit: Oana Dumbrava

Before the conference I hosted a slow zine jam over a few months through a series of drop-in sessions where contributors could come along, share ideas, show where they were at with their designs, ask questions about the process, and provide me with input on what they wanted for their zines at ICT4S 2026.

11 zines were submitted from contributors across the globe. 50 copies of each zine were printed for conference attendees to take home with them.

During the conference: Zine area and library

A dedicated stand/space was set up next to the main auditorium where plenary sessions where host during the conference. The zine space contained the library of the zines from the zine jam alongside materials and resources for zine making, crafting and collaging for whenever attendees felt the urge.

During the conference: Zine and collage making session

On the first day of the academic conference schedule I hosted a one hour zine making and collaging session with around 80 of the conference attendees. The pages, collages and pieces produced during this session by conference attendees resulted in the ICT4S 2026 Zine, a collection of contributions from attendees during and after this session.

Post conference

The ICT4S 2026 Zine Library contains the pre-conference zines, zines made or displayed during the conference, and a collection of collages and zine pages made during the zine and collage making session at the conference.