The Wasteland Project was a commissioned piece from the Turner Contemporary in Margate in collaboration with UCA students. The project involved us creating the advertising magazine and the imagery inside it, for the exhibition about T.S Eliot's 'Wasteland' poem: selected students being chosen.
For my designs, I wanted to create one image per chapter of the poem, acting as a synopsis to it/ giving context to the text. The chapters are split into sections e.g Disillusionment and Despair (2nd above), Character Vignettes (alternative narratives - 1st above), Self-denial and Imagery of Death (3rd above) and Statement of Judgement (4th above).
The 2nd image 'Disillusionment and Despair' holds a few portraits of banker looking gentlemen, referring to T.S Eliot's identity trouble and mental illness which is overlaid by binary and morse code. The codes don't make much sense and cover our image of the man behind them (manipulating and blocking our vision). The codes actually translate to section of that particular part of the poem and actively follow the tone of the chapter: the image creating disillusionment and failure to understand or make sense of what is happening.
The other images use signage to describe the narrative, The Venetian and Plague Doctor mask represent the mental state of the author and his partner, the masks hiding their expressions but connoting them whilst going through marriage: a traditionally binding event.
The first image shows cut up and connected people. They clearly don't match or go representing the 'Character Vignettes' section of the poem where the author's perspective changes in gender, time and place.
The final image 'Statement of Judgment' is simple and follows how T.S Eliot was thinking during the dark time in his life. The eye is plain and emotionless but is still connected to the brain where the poem is being created. The eye views and shapes its thoughts through what it's seen. It and the brain are connected in a loop of despair where the eye communicates the negativity Eliot sees to his mind, where the poem is written.
Front Cover
Work on single page
Full spread
Full spread (Credits/Editor Notes)