SMILE (magazine)

"SMILE" is an international magazine of multiple origins. Since 1984, an estimated 100 different issues of SMILE have been published by different people in different countries of the world.

History

SMILE was launched in February 1984 in London by Stewart Home. He described it as the official organ of 'Generation Positive', a "movement" which consisted solely of himself. In the second issue, published in April 1984, Home suggested that all magazines be called "SMILE". Artists Mark Pawson and Erica Smith issued the next "Smile" magazine in London in the summer of 1984. Versions had appeared in Germany and the USA by the end of the year. During 1985 editions of "SMILE" had appeared throughout Europe and the USA. When Home joined Neoism, a subcultural network whose participants collectively used the identity of Monty Cantsin, "SMILE" became closely associated to Neoism, too, with several Neoists and mail artists releasing their own versions of the magazine. In 1989, a magazine entitled "Smile - History Lesson" catalogued over 100 issues which had been produced by the end of 1987. Stewart Home produced 11 issues of "SMILE", the last being published in 1989 prior to the Glasgow 'Festival of Plagiarism' and the Art Strike 1990-1993. Andy Martin and the musical group Academy 23 produced 26 issues of "Smile" between 1992 and 2001. Other editions were published by the rest of the Neoist network and anyone else who felt like it. For this reason it is impossible to know how many issues of the magazine exist and how many people have produced their own editions. An exhibition of "SMILE" magazines curated by Simon Ford was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum London between 20 March and 10 August 1992. The catalogue for this event was itself a further issue of "SMILE" magazine.

Origins

The title "SMILE" alludes to the 1970s Mail art magazine "FILE" published by the Canadian artist group General Idea. "FILE" in turn was a play on the title and typography of Life (magazine). Before "SMILE", the Mail art magazines "VILE" and "BILE" parodied "FILE". "SMILE" conversely mutated into "Limes", "Miles", "Emils", "Snarl", "Slime", "Smirk", "C-Nile", "Lisme" and "iMmortal LIES".

The fixed name "SMILE" for a magazine that anyone could produce corresponded to the names Monty Cantsin and Karen Eliot which were chiefly shared among practitioners of Neoism.

Known SMILE Issues

* SMILE 1-11 + 3 xerox editions, produced by Stewart Home, London, England, 1984-1989
* SMILE 1-6, produced by Jo Klaffki, Minden, Germany, 1984-1987
* SMILE/SLIME/SMILE-EMIL, 10 issues produced by Mark Pawson, London, England, 1984-1989
* SMILE, 10 issues produced by Pete Horobin, Dundee, Scotland, 1984-1988
* EMILS/SMILE, 2 issues produced by Al Ackerman, San Antonio, USA, 1984
* SMILE FLAME, produced by Rouska Rouska, England, 1984
* MILES, 3 issues produced by R.U. Sevol, Paris, France, 1984-1985
* LIMES/SMILE, two issues produced by Erica Smith, London, England, 1985
* SMILE, one issue produced by Roger Radio, England, 1985
* SMILE, one issue produced by David Jarvis, England, 1985
* SMILE/SNARL, 3 issues produced by Vittore Baroni, Viareggio, Italy, 1985
* C-NILE, one issue produced by Mark Bloch, New York, USA, 1985
* SMILE 1985, one issue produced by creative thing, USA, 1985
* SMILE 64 + SMILE 63, produced by Graf Haufen, Berlin, Germany, 1985-1986
* SMILE/BIG SMILE/imMortal LIES/START, 5 issues produced by Istvan Kantor, Montreal, Canada, 1985-1986
* TRANSPARENT SMILE + SMILE, 3 issues produced by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE, Baltimore, USA, 1985-1987
* SMILE, 7 issues (3 unnumbered + issues 2-4 + issue 6/7] produced by John Berndt, Baltimore, USA, 1985-1989
* SCHISM, issues 11-20, produced by Stephen Perkins, San Francisco, USA, 1985-1989
* LISME/NOW/SMILE, 7 issues produced by Arthur Berkoff, Almelo, Netherlands, 1985-1994
* SMILE, one issue produced by D. Tiffen/A. James, England, 1986
* SMILE, one issue produced by Andy Semple, England, 1986
* SMILE 23,1 + SMILE 23,2, produced by Pete Scott, England, 1986-1987
* SMILE SHRAPE, one issue produced by Strngy, England, 1987
* SMILE IMUURI, produced by C. Roberts, Australia, 1987
* SMILE *1 + *2, produced by Karen Eliot/Schizflux, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, 1987
* VAGUE 18/19 + 20, with SMILE inserts, produced by Tom Vague, London, England, 1987-1988
* SMIRK 1 + 2, produced by Sam Monk, England, 1988
* SMILE, 2 issues produced by Brian Gentry, Philadelphia, USA, 1988
* SMILE, 7 issues produced by Florian Cramer, Berlin, Germany, 1991-1994
* SMILE, 26 issues produced by Academy 23, London, England, 1992-2001
* SMILE, one issue produced by Michael Liermann, Germany, 1995
* SMILE, eight issues produced by Bureau of Neoist Production in collaboration with El Terrible Burgués, Barcelona, Spain, 2006-2008