For this project, I wanted to combine the ideas of vast, open spaces and liminal spaces. I find that these two themes are very prevalent in the indie horror community, and have lately become more mainstream with the rise of concepts like The Backrooms. Both of these "genres" of images/videos try to evoke emotion by showing an environment that is familiar to the viewer, but that is edited or "shifted" to feel otherworldly or ethereal in nature. I wanted to focus on the sorts of feelings these visuals often invoke in me, which is this sort of comforting dread--the feeling of realizing one's smallness in the universe, and the bittersweet peace that can come with that realization.
To help immerse the reader in the worlds I created for this zine, I decided to introduce The Traveler. The Traveler is a faceless protagonist of sorts that we follow along with as they journey through various places. They're meant to help the viewer insert themselves into the environment, and to also provide a sense of scale. They're always incredibly tiny compared to the places in which we see them, even when they are in the foreground of the image. This helps to communicate the vastness of the space in which The Traveler, and the viewer, exists.
I noticed that many people in critique saw Field Notes as more of a linear story, which was a bit of a happy accident. I hadn't originally planned for this zine to have much of a narrative, but as I went, I saw that a narrative was emerging, and I leaned into it where I could. The story itself is intentionally blurry around the edges, as I wanted to let the viewer project onto The Traveler as much as possible. However, some of the overarching themes focus on the call of the unknown, how we can sometimes be overwhelmed by the immensity of living, and how our own minds are often far more vast and complex than any location or space we could imagine.
If I did this project again, I would've put more effort into printing and assembly. Due to time constraints, I wasn't able to utilize the print lab on campus, which would have allowed me to print my larger images on one sheet of paper, rather than taping two standard size 8.5"x11" pages together. I also would've tried to find a better solution for attaching the cover to the rest of the zine, as it looks shoddy at best. However, I am fairly happy with the content of the zine overall, with the exception of wishing I could have put more effort into the smaller details of each piece.
Comments