© Highland Zine Bothy, 2024
Zine Through Time is a four-part creative workshop series, hosted by Iona Gibson from the Highland Zine Bothy, running weekly throughout August 2025. Each session will delve into a different historical and cultural theme connected to our collections, culminating in a response to the upcoming William Gillies exhibition. As part of Inverness Museum’s 200th-anniversary celebrations, Zine Through Time is a participatory and intergenerational arts programme that connects heritage with self-expression.
Wait, what’s a zine?
“Zines” (pronounced like maga-zine) are self-published codex booklets that can be made by anyone. Typically, a zine is handmade in small batches using a variety of low-cost methods, then distributed in quick and convenient ways (e.g. photocopied) and sold cheaply, shared for free, traded with others, archived for public browsing, or kept as objects to admire. Zines are safe, accessible, and inclusive vessels aimed at anyone who has ideas to share with the world. Historically, zines have uplifted marginalised voices often overlooked by mainstream media, and enabled people to find a sense of belonging by bridging the gap between and/or building communities. The process of zine-making is a cathartic experience that can aid with artists’ block and provide free rein for testing new ideas. You do not need to be an artist to make a zine, because the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) nature of zines provides an open invite to everyone!
Book your place here via Ticket Tailer
Friday 8 August, Ogham Alphabet – Language of the Land
2–4pm, Room to Discover, £10 per person
Participants will explore the ancient Ogham tree alphabet, examining the intertwined roots of language, landscape, and identity. Inspired by Gaelic language and guided warm-up activities, we will create zines inspired by our personal connections to nature. This workshop encourages environmental reflection and introduces participants to an ancient pictographic linguistic system, inviting them to “write” their experiences through symbols and textures.
Friday 15 August, Celtic Folklore – Myths in the Museum
2–4pm, Room to Discover, £10 per person
This session will journey into lesser-known Highlands and Islands folklore. Central to the session is the Bernera Goddess: a mysterious whalebone carving found in a burial ground and wrapped in legend, or to some, a curse. Through creative storytelling, participants will make zines that reimagine her journey – whether historically accurate, or a fictionalised fantasy.
NEW DATE: Saturday 20 September, Jacobites – Resistance in Print
2–4pm, Room to Discover, £10 per person
Focusing on Jacobitism, rebellion, and resistance, this workshop will investigate the deep connections between Highland history and global narratives – particularly through the figure of Prince Frederick Duleep Singh and his family’s legacy. Zines, inherently a medium of resistance and radical self-expression, will be used to explore and reflect on themes of power, colonialism, and cultural preservation.
NEW DATE: Saturday 27 September, Scots Modernism – Reframing Gillies
2–4pm, Room to Discover, £10 per person
This final session marks the closing of our summer exhibition of William Gillies’ paintings. Through viewing and discussion, participants will interpret Gillies’ life and work: his lyrical landscapes, traumas, and Modernist explorations, creating zines that blend abstraction and memory through hidden symbolism. This workshop bridges contemporary reflection with visual art history, offering a powerful culmination to the series through an exclusive closing event while bringing participants into the present.
