Welcome to The Guide’s special issue taking the temperature of the UK’s do-it-yourself scenes; from music to film, art and theatre. From guerrilla art collectives, to lo-fi theatre groups and online collaborators they all have one thing in common: a passion for their form that sees them try to create their own rules. Scroll down for interviews, plus guides on how to set up your own DIY arts venue, gallery, film screening and theatre.

Josie Long’s Another Planet

Our resident cartoonist says ta-ra to Tesco and introduces her manifesto for doing it yourself.

Hookworms, Eagulls, Joanna Gruesome: how UK music scenes are going DIY

Across Britain, artists are finding new ways to sidestep the traditional music industry machine.

Lucky PDF, the DIY art agitators

The subversive south London collective started out putting on parties, but now make subversive and often participatory art works for the digital generation.

Exploding Cinema: the DIY projectors

The UK’s original squat-punk alt.film night that will screen almost anything almost anywhere.

Just Jam: the DIY digital gig curators

Their £80 pop videos may have earned them silverware and legions of admirers, but it’s their live broadcasts that are a rite of passage for performers.

Forest Fringe: the DIY theatre extremists

From fake televangelists to staging Sex And The City one-on-ones, we meet the non-profit group for whom DIY is an ideology.

DIY culture, how to do it yourself

From music to cinema and theatre to art, people are sidestepping the establishment and doing things their own way. Here’s how you can, too.