Quite an experience to live in fear, isn’t it? That’s what it is to be a slave. I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I’ve watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die…
Rutger Hauer, as Roy Batty, in Blade Runner

Four Minutes to Midnight is a visceral reaction to the encounters between: typography and language, language and culture, culture and politics, politics and fear, fear and love, love and sex, sex and death. Between death and memory, memory and the printed page. In the wake of our sadness, joy, anger and hope. This issue is dedicated to the birds…

True to the expansive definition that introduces this issue of the zine, Issue 8 features the diverse work of over 20 international writers and artists. Some personal highlights include Ralph Dfouni’s personal account of the war in Lebannon, Vincent Tinguely’s polemical poem Oilers, photography by Brigitte Henry, a graphic interpretation of Nadia Myre’s scar project, and of course Fugue 8. With the Fugue, I think we finally articulated the core concept behind the project; composing all the textual fragments and dialogue we’ve shared into a compelling, 28-page typographic epic.

Many, many thanks to all the contributors, in alphabetical order:

Kathy Bailey, cat, Derek Beaulieu, Anton Brink, Si Clark, Ralph Dfouni, John Emerson, Zsolt Fekete, Lindsay Foran, Jordan Gadapee, Kajin Goh, Brigitte Henry, Billy Mavreas, Joshua Mensch, Nadia Myre, Omen, le Savvy Albator, John W. Stuart, Julian Stuart, Tao, Vincent Tinguely, Vilhjálmur Ingi Vilhjálmsson, Colin White and Shawnda Wilson.

Download a PDF of the issue eight (9.2 MB).

Geof Huth reviews the issue here.

John performs Fugue 8 here.