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DARREN VERGARA.art
What's Real and Fake?
Throughout this project I will attempt to visually illustrate the dilemma of online space, differentiating between what is authentic and what is not using a Zine Format. A Zine is a booklet, the majority of the time containing trinkets like badges, stickers and posters centred around a topic, theme or hobby. The reason why I chose this subject to investigate is that it intrigued me how the internet provides a mask to many aspects, whether it be through news outlets, social media or particular websites. Some may be genuine, while others may be hiding certain aspects.
The experimentation aspect of this journey was interesting. I never thought of using a printer scanner to create these digitally distorted scans, but the end describes what the virtual space is inhabited with. Faceless users. I later used these scans in Experiment One taking inspiration from dangerous internet trends like 'Momo' to recreate the same daunting messages on users' phones. This experiment represents the dangerous and mysterious side of the internet, the more unknown, and what effects it had on its victims.
Experiment Two is about how the pressure of social media can crush its users both physically and mentally. Here, I wanted to communicate the struggles through facial expressions and tense body actions grasping onto life. I also felt like the lighting was a bit off, so I tried to develop it further in its next incarnation.
Experiment Three and Four were the initial scrapped designs of the illustrations in my Final Zines.
Scans
Scans
Experiment Four
Scans
1/7
FINAL DESIGN.
The front page contains the title htttps://ACaptiveMind. The https part stands for the internet which holds OUR minds captive. I chose this title because I wanted something related to curiosity, when we are unsure, we often end up searching for it on the internet starting with the search bar. The first page illustrates dangerous trends/challenges surrounding the internet and the hidden users, while the second page focuses more on the user themselves, symbolising how they are always hiding behind a mask. Pages three and four present the different personas of users on different platforms. Lastly the fifth communicates how we are constantly being monitored, and the sixth shows the user's mentality breaking and cracking at the seams.
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