For
this project, I wanted to take the idea of place and expand that to not just a place that exists already instead I wanted to create my own space. So, I
utilized my manga collection, which I know is at least 100 volumes if not more
to be honest. Now, I can make an interesting physical space with them, like I
wanted to reflect a cave-like structure and mountainous feeling. The feeling
also contributes to my thoughts on escapism.
Using the ideas of
mountains and caves, I wanted to reflect that feeling of wanting to escape via
fictional means, and the want to wall oneself into the world of fiction. I as a
person am very susceptible to using fiction to escape my own problems, perhaps
it has something to do with my tendency to dissociate, but who is to say. I also used manga, which is part of Japanese
media, to highlight this, because of the highly fantastical nature of the
media. Japan is a country that has media that is so distinct and so out of the
realm of reality, that it is an easy means to escape reality. This complete
fantasy is something that thrives in a place like Japan where working and
school life is not easy, there is a reason why the suicide-rates are high in a
place like that. The need to build a place away from reality, to surround
yourself in fiction, thrives in Japan, because of the huge societal pressure
placed on people’s shoulders. While I personally do not have that huge of a
load on my shoulders, I understand the want and need for escapism, I mean I
have amassed an ever-growing collection personally.
While fiction is
not real, people still will use it to create a comfortable place for them to
wall themselves in for a while, to take a break from reality for a moment.
