I think for my zine I want to lean into the idea of agoraphobia--the fear of open spaces. I've always been fascinated by the kind of imagery people use to try and convey the idea of feeling very small in an expansive environment (especially since I myself have always quite enjoyed the feeling of vertigo--the feeling of being "swallowed" by an environment is oddly comforting to me). I want to explore the different kinds of places that make people feel small, such as large cliffs/canyons, open sky, the ocean, and space, and not just the usual endless plain with no defining features on the horizon (though I'm sure that will also make an appearance if I can fit it in).
To go with this, I'd also like to potentially incorporate elements of "liminal spaces". If the term's unfamiliar, the idea of a liminal space is to show a place that is vaguely familiar, but devoid of whatever usually gives it life and identity, such as an empty subway station with signs too blurry to read, or a foggy crossroads where you can't see what the road signs say. Usually, liminal spaces show up in indie horror media, and primarily play with the fear of being alone in an unfamiliar world, which I think would compliment my other idea well.
I'm playing with the idea of whether or not I should have some sort of "protagonist" that travels through these places as the zine progresses. On the one hand, the point is to feel overwhelmed by the place, and the fact that there's no one else to filter the world through to make it easier to process. On the other hand, giving the reader a conduit through which to place themselves into the environment may actually help. If I do have a traveler, I probably want to avoid giving them too many defining features (though I suspect aspects of myself would likely leak into them :/). I'll think on it more.
I feel like it would make sense for my zine to be fairly large in physical size, since I almost want it to feel like a porthole into this otherworldly, larger than life world. Unfortunately, I don't have much of an idea for the cover yet. I think it might also be interesting to try and really lean into a lot of two-page spreads for some expansive vista shots, though that would probably prove to be a massive pain. Thankfully, the environments I'm picturing are... well. A lot of empty space. So, a "less is more" approach might help make larger images less labor-intensive, both physically and mentally. I'll certainly have to be careful not to oversubscribe myself, and I'll need plenty of back-up plans in case things don't come together perfectly.
Comments