Exhibition – Fandom, or a conversation

1. Fanzine „Fikcje” [Fictions] 10 (28) 1985
Illustration: Maciej Żerdziński
„Fikcje” is a fanzine published by the Silesian Fantasy Club in Katowice in the years 1983-1988. The newest issue, No. 55, was published in 2023 after a very long break.

2. Yokkon 5 badge
Illustration: Katarzyna Zbroja
Traditionally, convention-goers receive identification passes (called badges). They usually offer space for one’s name or nickname to be written in. This one is an exception from the rule in this regard.
Yokkons were a series of anime conventions held in Kraków in the years 2002-2004.
They were organised by the local Yokai club.

3. Worldcon 2019 Souvenir Book
Illustration: Iain Clark
Cover design: Diana Thayer
Souvenir books are given to participants by some conventions. Inside, one may find articles and other information on the event itself. They also sometimes contain the event schedule.
Worldcon 2019 was held in Dublin in Ireland. Traditionally, each occurrence of Worldcon is given a unique name. In this case, the name was Dublin 2019 – An Irish Worldcon.

4. Worldcon 1990 pin
Illustration: Len de Vries
These pins were not an official Worldcon product. They were produced by Polish and Czech fans without the knowledge of the convention organisers, albeit using an official image. As one of the organisers pointed out, their existence was „a nice surprise”.
In 1990, Worldcon was held in the Hague in the Netherlands under the unique name of ConFiction 1990. Information on the convention is available at the following address: https://confiction1990.com/

5. WWFF pin
Illustration: Coach
WWFF (We Work For Food) was an informal group of experienced organisers of anime conventions. The aim of the WWFF was to help out various events. Later on the group, in cooperation with the Hikari Association, decided to organise conventions under its own name.

6. DoubleBack II convention badges
Design and illustration: Jędrzej „Yen” Chojnacki (https://www.instagram.com/yentertainment.comics/)
Set of badges from the DoubleBack II convention, organised in Bytom in February of 2013. DoubleBack II was one of the anime conventions of the WWFF group.

7. Silesian Fantasy Club pins
Pins from the Silesian Fantasy Club in Katowice. In the ’80s, the pins also had an impression of the membership number. Later on, however, the practice was discontinued. Recently, personalised named magnetic pins were introduced.

8. Fanzine „071” No. 4
Illustration: Katarzyna Czereucho
Typesetting: Michał „Pułkownik” Szczepaniak
„071” was a manga fanzine which received an honourable mention in a contest held by the Waneko publishing house in 2002. Its editors-in-chief were Michał „Pułkownik” Szczepaniak and Paweł „Magnus” Wodziński.

9. Souvenir from a TAFF delegate from 2019
In 2019, Geri Sullivan became a delegate of TAFF (Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund), a fan exchange programme between the United States and Europe. To thank the fans who hosted her, Geri gifted them with stones like this one.
This is an example of how fans can imbue simple objects with significance. The souvenirs took the form of pebbles from a path leading to the Scrabo Tower in Northern Ireland. The building was the inspiration for the Tower of Trufandom, which is the travel goal of the main character of the fan novel The Enchanted Duplicator. In its time, this 1954 novel by Walter A. Willis and Bob Shaw greatly influenced the fandom and was reprinted multiple times. Geri collected the stones in 1989, when Walter A. Willis took her to the Scrabo Tower.

10. „Kaufman Coast to Coast”
Illustration and cover design: carl juarez and Jerry Kaufman
In 1983, Jerry Kaufman became a delegate of DUFF (Down Under Fan Fund), a cultural exchange programme for fans between North America and Australia and New Zealand. The guidelines indicate that delegates should publish a report from their visit. This was the case here; this publication appeared in 1988, describing the time spent by the author in Australia.

11. „Smokopolitan” 1 fanzine
Illustration: Ell Głowacka
Cover design: Olga Furman-Szczotkowska
Logo: Adria Depta
„Smokopolitan” was a Kraków fanzine published by the Kraków Dragons club, operating under the auspices of the Historia Vita foundation. In the years 2015-2018, a total of 11 issues were published, including an English-language special issue. The entire archive is available at https://smokopolitan.pl

12. „DOJI” 42 fanzine
Illustration: Monika „Ailish” Filipiak
Typesetting: Filip Cyrus Madej
The manga fanzine „DOJI”, created by the group DOJI-Anime-Team, was in publication in the years 2000-2004. During that time, an impressive 40 issues appeared (summer vacation issues were published as double issues). In 2002, the fanzine received an honourable mention in a contest held by the Waneko publishing house. In 2011, a special issue No. 41 saw the light of day, including archival materials. 2022 saw the publication of No. 42, the last issue to date.

13. „Yokai” 1 fanzine
Illustration: Katarzyna Zbroja
Cover design:
pOtrek
The „Yokai” fanzine was published by the Kraków Yokai club – one of the oldest club for fans of manga and anime in Poland. Only two issues were published; the third, though prepared, never went to print.

14. „Aiglos” 1 fanzine
Illustration: Kasiopea
Typesetting: Katarzyna Stopa-Olszańska „Melinir”
The Tolkien fanzine „Aiglos” has been in publication since 2004. To date, a total of 25 normal issues and 2 special issues have been published. The publisher of the fanzine is the Silesian Fantasy Club.
Information about the fanzine is available on the official website: https://aiglos.tolkien.com.pl.
The presented issue is a reprint from 2019.
The editorial board for first issue: editor-in-chief – Anna Adamczyk „Nifrodel”; secretary – Marek Śliwiński „elfy”; articles and essays: Michał Leśniewski „M.L.”, Tadeusz A. Olszański „Halbarad Dunadan”; fan stories – Kasiopea; graphics and typesetting – Katarzyna Stopa-Olszańska „Melinir”; proofreading – Anna Dąbkowska „Nilcamiel”; cooperation: Magdalena Kroczak „Tallis Keeton”, Agnieszka Sylwanowicz „Evermind”, Katarzyna Wojdak „Avari”.

15. „Banana Wings” 62 fanzine
Illustration: Brad Foster
Cover design: Mark Plummer
„Banana Wings” is a British fanzine published from 1996. Its editors-in-chief are Claire Brialey and Mark Plummer. It has been voted numerous community awards and was a finalist numerous times for the „Best Fanzine” Hugo Award.

16. „Widok z Wysokiego Zamku” 88 fanzine
Illustration: Magdalena Paulina Bazyluk – „Elbi”
Cover design: Grzegorz Kozubski
„Widok z Wysokiego Zamku” is a fanzine created by the Bycze Karki Dicka [Philip K. Dick’s Bullnecks] team, consisting of Grzegorz Kozubski, Marek Sokólski, and Jarosław Sokólski, published by the „UBIK” SF&F Club from Białystok. Since 1998, almost a hundred issues have been published (some in the form of double issues). The presented issue is a special pandemic issue with an interestingly switched-over logotype.

17. Imladris 2003 Programme Book
Illustration: Bofel
Cover design: Bartosz „Giżol” Giżycki
Imladris is a series of conventions held in Kraków and organised by the Galician Guild of SF&F Fans in the years 1998-2002 and the Historia Vita Foundation from 2014 onward.
Programme books contain a list of all of the convention attractions and their descriptions. Furthermore, they usually contain the convention rules and other information thereon.
More information on the upcoming Imladris can be found at the following address: https://www.imladris.in

18. Imladris Polcon 2022 Programme Book
Illustration: Kaja Blajn Sztajnykier
Cover design: Radosław „Rynvord” Polański
Typesetting: Krzysztof „Krzyś” Bernacki
In 2022, the Imladris convention had the distinction of being a Polcon (the Polish national convention). More information on the convention series is available in the description of the previous item.

19. B-XmassCon Programme Book
Illustration: Daria „Dar-chan” Lebida
B-XmassCon is a cycle of „christmas” anime conventions organised by the B-Team group in the years 2010-2014. Its successor is the XmassCon cycle, organised since 2015 by the FunCube Events company.

20. DOJIcon 7 and DOJIcon 8 Programme Books
Illustrations: Jedrzej „Yen” Chojnacki (https://www.instagram.com/yentertainment.comics/)
DOJIcons were a series of anime conventions organised by the DOJI-Anime-Team in the years 2001-2008 (with a break in 2003). The seventh occurence thereof was held in 2007 and was the largest of the group’s conventions (it exceeded 1000 members). DOJIcon 8 was the group’s farewell event and was planned to be decidedly smaller (for 300-400 members). The next year, some of the organisers decided to run the NATcon convention.

21. ConStar 2007 Programme Book
Illustration: Magdalena Madej-Reputakowska
ConStars were the second series of SF&F conventions organised by the Quest Group. Held in the years 2006-2008, they were preceded by ConQuests (2003-2005) and succeeded by ConFuzja (2009).

22. Cracon 1991 Programme Book
Cover: Zbyszek „Kas” Kasprzak
Cracon 1991 was a Polcon (the Polish national convention) and a Eurocon (the European convention for fans of SF&F). The event was held in several buildings located near the centre of Kraków.

23. Shamrokon 2014 Souvenir Book
Illustration: Jim Fitzpatrick
Cover design: Shevaun Frazier
Held in Dublin, Shamrokon 2014 had the distinction of being a Eurocon (a European convention for fans of SF&F). Andrzej Sapkowski was one of the Guests of Honour.

24. Polcon 2014 Programme Book
Cover: Sylwia Smerdel
The 2014 Polcon (the Polish national convention) was held in Bielsko Biała.

25. Fandoom game cards
Illustrations on the card fronts: Paweł Görlich and Ula Majka
Illustration on the card back: Sebastian Barabanow
Card design: Michał Madej
Game design: Maciej „Repek” Reputakowski-Madej
„Fandoom” was a card game published for the ConQuest 2004 convention in Kraków. The next year, the next event from the series saw the publication of 15 additional cards. They featured e.g. numerous individuals from the local fandom, as well as groups of fans or conventions.

26. Corflu Craic Programme Book
Illustration: Sue Mason
Design and typesetting: Pat Virzi
Lettering: Alison Scott
Editing: Rob Jackson
Corflu is a series of conventions devoted to fanzines. This year’s occurence (Corflu Craic) was held in Belfast in Northern Ireland. The name of the con series refers to correction fluid, used to fix mistakes on the stencils for mimeographs.

27. Worldcon 2024 advertising postcards
Illustrations: Iain Clark, Sara Felix
Design and typesetting: Emma Kalson Leadley
Several designs of postcards advertising next year’s Worldcon in Glasgow in UK, which has been given the name Glasgow 2024 – A Worldcon For Our Futures. More information about the convention is available at the following address: https://glasgow2024.org

28. Worldcon 2024 tartan
Design: Sara Felix
Alongside the numerous traditional forms of advertising, the Glasgow Worldcon in 2024 also decided to prepare quite an unusual artefact, namely an officially registered event-related Scottish tartan. Its official name is „Landing Zone Glasgow”.

29. Skiercoff 2020 mug
Illustration: Maciej Qrczak Białek
Design and creation: The Konopczyński Family Pottery Workshop in Bolimów
Skiercon is a series of conventions held in Skierniewice since 2014. In 2020 and 2021, the convention had a different name and formula due to the pandemic. The mug is from 2020.

30. Worldcon 2019 Progress Report 1
Illustration: Iain Clark
Design and typesetting: Sara Felix
Some conventions, including Worldcons, cultivate the tradition of preparing progress reports. Printed in the past, at present they are usually digital. Their goal is to inform the community at intervals on the event and the progress made with regard to its preparation. They sometimes include additional content, including materials on the invited Guests of Honour. In the case of Worldcons, they also include lists of the people who will take part in the con.

31. Imladris Polcon 2022 die
Logo: Aleksandra „pająk” Maćków-Neumann
Creation: Chaos Roll (https://chaosroll.com/)
Dice are among the convention memorabilia. This is a handmade D20 die from last year’s Imladris Polcon, which was held in Kraków. More information on the event can be found in the description of item No. 17.

32. Skiercon 2022 convention currency
Illustration: Natalia „Kot” Szychowska
For several years, Skiercons have offered convention currency in the form of metal coins called Skiercoins. Each year, they have a different design.
Convention currency is a method of making winning contests more attractive. Instead of providing specific prizes with each contest, the organisers prepare a „currency” (which can take on many forms), which can be exchanged for prizes at a certain place at the convention. This way, the winner can choose a specific prize which interests them (or collect points from several contests in exchange for a more valuable prize).

33. Imladris Polcon 2022 convention currency
Illustration: Kaja Blajn Sztajnykier
Design: Radosław „Rynvord” Polański
During Imladris Polcon in 2022, the convention currency featured illustrations from several previous editions of the convention. More information on the event can be found in the description of item No. 17.

34. Plansówki 2019 convention currency
Illustration: Lilianna Dmytrek „Rogaty Królik”
Plansówki are kindred to Lajconik, albeit events devoted to board games. Thus far, the SFF Network of Kraków organised two editions – the last in 2019. At present, the event is suspended.
More information on the convention currency can be found in the description of item No. 32.

35. Worldcon 2024 ribbon
Illustration: Sara Felix
Ribbons are a popular form of convention advertising in the US. They can also often be found at Worldcons in other parts of the world. Apart from promotional ribbons, some ribbons are provided to denote the function of a given individual. Fans also create different ribbons to express their sympathies – or just as a joke. They are usually attached to badges. At Worldcons, they can sometimes even be joined together to form „scarves”.

36. Worldcon 2024 T-shirt
Illustration: Sara Felix
The T-shirt depicts the logo of the upcoming Worldcon in Glasgow in UK. More information on the convention can be found at the following address: https://glasgow2024.org

37. Lemcon 2017 and 2018 Programme Books
Illustration and production: Jerry Bremer, the background features photos in the public domain from rawpixel
Lemcons were a series of conventions organised by the SFF Network of Kraków (Krakowska Sieć Fantastyki – KSF) in cooperation with the Kraków Festival Office. The event had the goal of commemorating the birth of Stanisław Lem. Two independent edition of Lemcon were held, while the third (in 2019) took the form of a programme stream during the Confiction festival.

38. Lemcon 2017 and 2018 badges
Illustrations and production: Jerry Bremer
Organiser badges from the first two Lemcons. More information on the convention is available in the description of the previous item.

39. Lajconik 4 (2014), Lajconik 2016, and Lajconik 2019 Programme Books
Illustration for Lajconik 2016: Magdalena Blaschke-Michalczyk (https://www.instagram.com/piszeporzeczach/)
Illustration for Lajconik 2019: Monika „Ailish” Filipiak (https://www.instagram.com/ailish_robi_rzeczy/)
Lajconik – the Kraków RPG Days is a small event devoted to playing RPGs (roleplaying games), organised by the SFF Network of Kraków. Each year, the organisers select a general theme for the event; in the case of the fourth edition, the theme was the Cold War, and in 2019 horror/fear.

40. „A~Zyn” 2 fanzine
Illustration: Monika „Ailish” Filipiak
Typesetting: Filip Cyrus Madej
„A~Zyn” is a relatively new fanzine, which debuted in 2021. The first issue was published privately by the editor. Later issues were published by the SFF Network of Kraków. The zine is editorial in nature and of relatively short length. To date, seven issues were prepared (including a special English language issue).

41. Lajconik 2023 badge
Concept & Prop Art: Alicja Stefan
Light & Environment Art: Bartosz Weber
The image makes use of 3D models made available under a Creative Commons license. Its creators are: Verena Boeck, zacko, Vlad Mojaev, Lassi Kaukonen, and DJ Maesen.
The organiser badge for this year’s edition of Lajconik. More information on the event can be found in the description of item No. 39.

42. Plansówki 2018 poster
Illustration: Lilianna Dmytrek „Rogaty Królik”
Advertisement for the 2018 edition of Plansówki. More information on the event can be found in the description of item No. 34.

43. Imladris Polcon 2022 convention T-shirt
Illustration: Kaja Blajn Sztajnykier
Design: Radosław „Rynvord” Polański
T-shirt from last year’s Imladris Polcon. More information on the event can be found in the description of item No. 17.

44. Lajconik 2023 T-shirt
Image: Alicja Stefan
T-shirt from this year’s Lajconik. More information on the event can be found in the description of item No. 39.