ISTD - Alice In Wonderland
We were required to choose a chapter from a banned book and visually interpret it as a digitally dynamic book. We had to consider the potential of digital form to interpret the text and create something that couldn’t be done on paper.
The book I chose for this brief was banned in the 1960s for having references to drug use. People thought the book was encouraging the evolving drug culture with allusions to hallucinogenic drug use. The presence of the hookah and the body-altering mushroom enraged academic institutions, parents and religious groups. This outrage led to its banning. The surreal and unusual aspects of the book are thought to be consequences of drug-fuelled dreams of the 60s, 70s and 80s culture. During the 60s, 70s and 80s drug use was pretty common. Experimenting with drugs became a major component in the 60s culture and influenced art, music and fashion. The main character’s adventure was seen as a drug trip more than an ‘adventure.’ People interpreted the book in a logical way and that is why they picked up on the drug references in the book. The book is not meant to be read logically, as it is filled with surreal, unusual and nonsense stories.
The book gives readers information on why it was banned, other people’s opinions and views on it and the chapter’s text. Concept: show the effects that book has on the brain – affecting the way you see and read the book. The designs throughout the book are inspired by kaleidoscopes to show the effects of hallucinogenic drugs. The name of the book is not given away at the beginning, as the main character forgets who she is and struggles to remember things she once knew – so playing with this idea, I want the reader to figure out what book it is by looking at the visual clues located throughout the book.
