Sorry Jonny Died Zine Vol1
Sorry Jonny Died Zine Vol 1 is a first volume from the future to be released series, a presentation of the human focusing on documenting the occurrences, experiences, and emotional background. The zine merges recurrent themes of the color red, hand sketches, and short transcriptions of single words and sentences.
Allowed to access the creator's inner thought processes and opinions, the surroundings of the creator are unveiled. The viewer is taken through environmental protests, the naked bike ride in Brighton, to Tokyo, through the lockdown period, the deserted streets to encountering people.
Jonny Kaye is a photographer and film director based between London and Brighton. Focused on socially related issues, Jonny poses an opportunity to observe, notice, and influence - creating hope for the future. Sorry Jonny Died Zine Vol 1, a 60 pages zine of predominantly black and white photographs, is currently available in digital and printed versions (printed on A5 recycled paper).
How would you describe the atmosphere, the mood of the zine in 2 sentences?
“It’s dark. It’s playful.”
You bring to the attention social questions, letting a person yet another time to raise those and shape his approach. The questions raised touch topics such as the nudist street session, city environment, a person with ‘Our Children Need Your Help’ signboard, the lockdown, inclusivity, anxiety, light drugs, and underground communities. What are the main things you were exploring to bring the zine to life?
Human and environmental connection - the zine is made up of people I had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with/protests that I have attended - a visual diary if you like. The nudist session you're referring to was the naked bike ride in Brighton, a parade that celebrates cycling and the human body.
‘It felt like flicking through a diary of my life of the last year or so which all added to the idea of the zine.’
What are some of the conclusions you reached while selecting the photos and organizing the printed version from reminiscing on people you’ve met, the lockdown, the social environment, the specific occurrences?
The lockdown helped a lot with the process of not being able to explore or collaborate with people and forced me to look back over the images I already had. It felt like flicking through a diary of my life of the last year or so which all added to the idea of the zine.
Color red finds its way as a handwritten element throughout the zine, allowing to add an artist’s viewpoint, underlining or striking-through words, emphasizing certain parts to draw the viewer’s attention. Tell about the process of post-producing the images to create a defined look and feel.
The writings that I add to the images are an expression of how I’m feeling at the time I'm editing. The colour red I’m very attracted to not sure why maybe something to do with having red hair.
What is the most memorable photo you took (from those included in the book)? What’s the story behind it?
The photo of my ex-girlfriend Harriet laying on the bed, which was taken in Santorini on my birthday. It’s a reminder of lots of amazing memories.
