by Olivia Hunt, Community Editor
Interleaved is a publication dedicated to the ‘power of the interdisciplinary in aiding nature conservation.’ The co-founders Sofia and Lotte (Bristol alumnae) aim to uncover ecological issues by selecting contributions submitted by keen, green-fingered people from across the UK.
Interleaved is less scientifically focused, its aim to interrogate environmental issues through the arts and humanities. The publication widens the close-knit circle of technical eco-critical language. Concepts of conservation and various challenges are made more accessible as they are explained through prose, poetry and collage. Sofia (Biology BSc, Science Communications MSc) and Lotte (Zoology BSc, Environmental Humanities MA) have interdisciplinary backgrounds that conjoin science and the humanities/arts, a concept heavily evident in the content and design of their beautifully curated zine.
What had initially attracted me to Interleaved was their approach towards science through a humanities lens. As an English student, I understood their work from a completely different perspective. My ideas of the natural world are bound by verse and rhythm, rather than graphs and formulae; their efforts in forming a ‘middle ground’ (as Lotte had put it) intrigued me.
I had followed their Instagram almost a year ago due to a post featuring the song ‘Nettles’ by Ethel Cain, of which Lotte took credit for with a laugh.
I ask what motivated the duo to start Interleaved. ‘Well, we’ve known each other since we were seventeen years old,’ Sofia states, ‘Lotte is a great writer, and I wanted a creative outlet for things I was interested in.’
‘Hang on.’ Lotte interrupts, ‘Sofia is also a great writer and artist. We wanted to combine both interests; I had experience in writing essays in my master’s about these issues and Sofia had also written some articles in her master’s too.’
Speaking about the boundaries between the language of science and the arts/humanities, they tell me that ‘Science is so important and we want to compliment it, but we realised we don't have the brains for graphs and stats as much as we do for poetry and art’ and switched to more humanities focused, or creative master’s programmes at Bristol. Interleaved combines the duo’s interests and allows others to reflect on their own sets of interdisciplinary tools.
‘If you can have a graph in a scientific paper about animals, why wouldn’t a poem also express and aid research from an alternate perspective?’ (Lotte)
What is the most important thing about Interleaved? ‘Accessibility is the number one priority,’ says Lotte, ‘we wanted to ensure that everyone could contribute and that the zine was informative, but as a nice and inviting process too. We didn’t want any pay-walls, […] the zine is available on an open-access forum.’
As I question the duo about their Old/Middle English titles and medieval aesthetic in tying their aims together, Lotte tells me, ‘We’re just nerdy, really’ and they both unveil matching Lord of the Rings tattoos. Interleaved seems to be more than an environmentally conscious passion project, it's also the product and creative outlet of a lengthy friendship.
In moving away from their previous themes associated with seasonality (for example issues Werm and Flumen), Sofia points out that Interleaved aims to be ‘rooted in something older and something set before,’ in that their aesthetic is ‘mixed and based on our own interests.’ Pointing to her room, a somewhat maximalist and expressive backdrop fitted with a Yayoi Kusama poster, is a contrast to the dusky, ancient feel of the publication. The publication allows Sofia to creatively control and display her perhaps hidden interests of an archaic aesthetic.
Lotte is also drawn to the publication's aesthetics and adds ‘We want the zine to be read in spaces like a spooky graveyard.’ This unique suggestion for a reading spot shows Interleaved is a world away from the academically mundane and blindingly lit atmosphere of settings like the ASS library. I imagine burnt candles, trees casting shadows and the distant scurry of night-time creatures… Maybe a mug of hot chocolate, too.
The pair talk to me about the concept of a zine as a modern form of publication, typically discussing more contemporary and present-day issues. The older aesthetic grants Interleaved an almost timeless quality.
‘We can't always understand nature, we need to accept some mystery and magic and that's where the arts and humanities play such a key role.’ (Sofia)
Did Lotte or Sofia work on any student publications during their time at university? They both shake their heads, but it turns out they already had a strong skill set before starting Interleaved.
‘We just took the experience we had from our degrees and went for it. I’d written a couple essays for some publications like The Bristorian but had never worked for anything else,’ Lotte reveals.
‘I think there’s liberty in being the founders of a self-publication. We can do what we want when we want.’ Sofia chuckles, ‘especially when we’re both working and can’t invest too much time.’
They tell me they’d discussed the project all throughout their master’s programmes but hadn’t set anything up until they’d graduated in the summer. The quarterly editions of Interleaved allow the pair to select contributions (they were very happy to see the volume of contributions flooding in!) and design the zine at a much slower pace. There is no burn-out.
As for Interleaved's future plans, ‘obviously we have major hopes and dreams,’ Sofia begins, ‘if we were able to fully put all our energy and time into the publication then we’d probably be able to do big things. But I like how slow we manage the system.’
‘The slowness is good,’ says Lotte, ‘I wouldn’t want to put too much pressure on creating too much too quickly.’
Interleaved hope to curate workshops in practising interdisciplinary method and discussing the environmental humanities (inspired by Grrrl Zine) and to sell their physical editions in bookshops. As of now, you can access physical editions of the zine in the East Bristol Bookshop and their Ko-Fi site. There is also a subscription-based membership of which you receive every quarterly edition also on Ko-Fi.
Submissions will be open again very soon for the winter edition, so keep an eye on their Instagram!
Hannah Corcoran
Interleaved’s Book List
- Drive Your Plough Over the Bones of the Dead, Olga Tokarczuk
- Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall-Kimmerer
- Flush, Virginia Woolf
- The Peregrine, J.A. Baker
- When the Whales Leave, Yuri Rytkheu
Featured Image: 'Interleaved Collage' | Interleaved
What would you submit to Interleaved?
