Process
Looking Up From Below is a short booklet that juxtaposes two short fiction stories with artifacts from New York’s Archeological Repository. After a visit to the Repository, I began to imagine how historic objects found throughout the city were used in daily life. This analysis is one of the key functions of the Archeological repository, but the way that we analyze artifacts changes with our present context and the technologies and resources available. With this in mind I wanted to design a project envisioned both the past and future of Manhattan, through fiction storytelling and poetry.
After delving into the archive, I began to workshop two fiction stories. Like the physical objects, I wanted the stories to be clear and relateble; speculating about the City’s future from a position without direct power or agency. Furthermore, I wanted to build on my initial concept of abstracting the past and future through imagination, this led me to two major themes: dreams and games.
The content of the book is grounded in the urban space of Manhattan and I wanted this focus to be reflected in the graphic design. The first iteration of this identity drew from New York’s open source GIS model, reducing the 3D model to its basic line forms. On paper, this prototype grounded the project in urban space, but felt callous compared to the humanist focus of the content of the booklet. I began to experiment with ink drawings to combine the simple linework of the GIS models with something more personal and handmade.