There is a resurgence of zine culture and small independent press publishing in Australia of late. Every city across the nation has an underground buzz as individuals and artist collectives take on the art of DIY publishing to create the documents that will define their generation. Nowhere is this buzz more evident than in Sydney, particularly since an underground art collective have armed themselves with a four tonne weapon of mass dissemination, leading to the creation of Big Fag Press.

At present, Big Fag Press now appear as one of 51 finalists in the Fremantle Print Award. So, what makes Big Fag Press – which is perfect for large scale, small print run poster production – so damn fabulous? The fact that their entire print empire started with a giant offset proof press they picked up at a liquidation auction for just $50. From there, a little tutelage and a whole lotta passion has gone a long way.

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‘Most artist run print collectives with be working from silkscreen or linocuts or things like that,’ pointed out Mickie Quick, an ex-Perth pat and current spokesperson for Big Fag Press. ‘But the high end quality of offset printing is only really becoming available to artists now because the technology is becoming partly obsolete. What we have is a low-run proof press, which is quickly being replaced by digital technology, which makes our four tonne printing press pretty much redundant. But the inks and plates used in it are still current because they’re still being used on high run offset print presses.’

It took Quick and crew three years to fine tune the skills required in operating the Big Fag Press successfully. However, the FAG 104 Offset Proof Press that is the heart and soul of Big Fag Press would never have revealed its secrets if it hadn’t been for the assistance of retired German master printer Jens Hausch.

‘Hausch basically ran us through operating it,’ said Quick. ‘I don’t know why he took the time to teach us other than old timers like him are sort of touched that young people have a drive to use these machines. People like him get so used to the commercialisation of their craft that they don’t ever really see this hands on optimism underground artists have for making use of something that was otherwise going to go to a scrap yard. So he taught us a lot, but I’d say we’re always learning the fine art of trying to balance all the variables in the machine.’

Mickie Quick – who, incidentally, takes his name from the Australian slang for a quick getaway after a series of billboard ‘alterations’ he executed in Perth a few years back – is quick to point out that his entry into the Fremantle Print Awards is not all about finesse, but rather just the impetus to act.

‘What I’m trying to push with my entry is that people with low or intermediate technical ability are actually more inspiring to people. That doesn’t mean you have to be totally skilled, just willing to learn and apply yourself. I find that speaks to people and tells people that there’s not this separation between a professional artist and a consumer, but that the DIY has a message in itself. We’re constantly teaching people the skills we know.’

Which is at the heart of the Big Fag Press philosophy: those who come to the collective and wish to use the Big Fag come not as clients, but rather participants in the artistic experience. The result is one of constant collaboration, and consequent education. It is an ethos which extends itself even further with the introduction of the Fagette, a little sister Gestetner stencil printing press which, as a precursor to the photocopier, is perfect for high volume print runs, those that would best suit zine makers. All together, it represents the beginning of an underground print empire which will potentially bring a much needed avenue of expression to the masses.

Mickie Quick’s entry into the Fremantle Print Awards on behalf of Big Fag Press can be viewed at the Fremantle Arts Centre from August 23 until October 5, with the winner of the award being announced on the exhibition’s opening night on August 22. Big Fag Press will also be appearing at Newcastle’s National Young Writers Festival in October. For further information please go to www.bigfagpress.org and www.myspace.com/fagettemenot.