Hail & Well Met, Traveler ...

The Making of Stories

Stories is a periodical zine featuring stories from around the world (reddit) whereby each issue delves deep into a particular branch of campfire stories.

The idea of 'campfire' stories came from my love of reading fairytales and ghost stories as a child. I wanted to showcase my love for this in this project. The only prerequisite I set for myself in the beginning stages was that each evolution will gradually become distorted as more and more layers are added to it. I got this idea in one of the readings: Mechanical reproduction / mass written by Walter Benjamin who posits that manufacturing devalues the ‘aura’ of an artistic object, i.e. its uniqueness, artisanal quality, the ‘hand’ of the artist. In a similar way, stories get altered the more it's told again and again, that reproduction devalues the merit of the truth until it becomes folkloric and a legend. Eventually these stories are spread too thin in the age of the internet where mass sharing is the new norm.

In brainstorming ideas, many came to mind such as experimenting with an accordian or carousel format, burning the page and paper chain art to communicate the idea further.

As you navigate this maze, it will become evident how much of my initial ideas changed for better or worst. I hope you enjoy!