Nowadays it is not uncommon to scroll on Instagram and find that a past university pal, ex-lover or a friend of a friend has launched their own magazine. Maybe they’ve kickstarted an event running career or begun dabbling in gig hosting. What is perhaps less common is birthing, workshopping and curating said project since one was 17.
Plinky Plonky was born in 2018 with the mission to be the adhesive for emerging and existing artists seeking a creative community to platform their works. Today, Plinky defines themselves as an ‘independent production house’ who produces quarterly digital magazines, each with their own unique theme, interviews emerging inner west bands, reviews the local arts and culture scene, makes short films and in recent times hosts community events.
To understand Plinky one must know its juggernaut creator, Thierry St Quinton. Thierry started working on Plinky when they were in high school with a past friend, cooing and preparing the vision for the publication from its early steps, eventually undertaking it on their own. Now, Thierry coordinates every quarterly issue from the theme down to the curation of the writing, website design and editing with the help of other friends and creatives. They coordinate with other publications like Booker Magazine and artists, regularly platform their friends’ bands, reach out to new artists and run the social media and website. The sheer work that goes into designing, writing or editing for a publication pale in comparison to doing all three and still expanding into new mediums. I have always found this impossibly impressive and even more-so now when I discovered how humble Thierry is about it all.
I first met Thierry online when they reached out to me in 2018 to compliment an embarrassingly indulgent and saturnine piece of writing I posted when I was 16. From here, we built a small online friendship watching each other survive the perils of senior high school, exchanging university writing experiences and eventually creatively collaborating.
Thierry sat down with me outside Courtyard Café to talk about all things Plinky and the shared work that goes into sustaining production in the Sydney arts scene. I started the interview with the age-old question of where the name of their project came from. Thierry chuckled and conceded that the name is taken from one of their favourite songs by Born Ruffians, ‘Plinky Plonky’ and “always thought it was fun” that when one searches up the magazine, they will also encounter the song.
Thierry is a gentle character, fluid to conversation and deliberate with their words. They studied a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and Sociology and Anthropology at the University of New South Wales and was coordinator at UNSW’s literary journal, UNSWeetened, equivalent to an editor-in-chief position.
Together we bonded over sharing passion projects and the turbulent nature of being a writer both in university and personally. From the beginning, Thierry was adamant of the collaborative nature of Plinky despite undertaking the majority of its work. Thierry explained that their dream has always been to connect, cultivate and curate an arts community that feels inclusive and sincere to the culture instead of the prioritisation of profits. Thierry isn’t shy to dedicate themselves and their hours to their work, reaffirming that “inviting expression of all kinds” is their priority when producing their quarterly magazine.
To get a better grasp of this publication, a visit to their digital catalogue would paint the picture perfectly. Each of Plinky’s quarterly issues is aesthetically and thematically different, often drawing on new mediums like ‘build-on’ writing between contributors, visual art, graphic design, video and different essay styles. Some of their issues include ‘Folks of Newtown’, ‘Jazz Cats’ and ‘Tumbleweed’, with each issue bringing on new and different contributors.
Recently, Plinky hosted their very first charity art event accompanying their 10th quarterly release, ‘Plinky Plonky Loves You’. The event was a great success, selling out before the night and was able to donate the majority of proceeds to the Australian Conservation Foundation after paying their bands and managing logistic costs. For Thierry, profit or vanity metrics seem not to be foregrounded when we discuss the amount of hours, money and time that goes into the project. They hope that the production house can be “ethical and self-sustaining” in the interest of the community.
Plinky is a big fan of independent media, having been interviewed by FBi Radio and consistently attending and collaborating with other community events like Milk Arts Night. Throughout the interview, Thierry consistently referenced the importance of showcasing the “fruits of our community” and collaboration being vital in making the publication what it is today.
Holding your own in this scene is already tricky enough, but coming into your 6th year of existence with a mission of creating a safe space for creatives to emerge and connect with each other, both Plinky and Thierry embody the essence of independent media.
Now, Plinky is set to relaunch their website in preparation for their next and 11th quarterly issue and are interested in hosting more community events in the future.
Support and browse Plinky Plonky here.
