In this project I want to create a illustration calendar, a calender that defamiliarizes time through inviting the viewer into a world of otherly beauty derived from the concept of natural subjects but presented not in natural form.
This 365-centimeter-long calendar encapsulates my interpretation of the natural world, often observed through abstract shapes that adopt artificial qualities. It serves as a continuous illustration portraying a reimagined reality where elements of nature undergo liquefaction, distortion, and transformation, while the progression of dates remains endless. The sun, mountains, water, and animals are depicted with artificial attributes, intentionally estranged from their usual forms, while typography seamlessly integrates into this altered environment.
The calendar spans from day 7854 to 8219, marking the number of days elapsed since my birth at the commencement of 2024. Symbolically, its length mirrors the 365 days in a year, yet intentionally lacks distinct divisions for months and follows a non-linear sequence of dates. This design reflects my perception of time, one not confined to conventional measures but influenced by emotions tied to seasons, educational pursuits, or specific projects, defying categorization into weeks, months, or years.
Please scroll to see the entire calendar.
Beyond the Design
I often consider the question of what is “real”. The imaginary world often reflects aspects of the real world and, through an artist’s expression, can represent something “realer” than what actually exists - the “truth”. The truth often comes in abstract concepts, and to present the truth, real objects are defamiliarized. Therefore, reality is relatively less real when presented in relation to the truth. I want to create a conceptual visual world through my perception and feelings, a world of otherworldly beauty derived from the truth of natural objects but defamiliarized by my perception.
This world represents how the truth - my true perception - defamiliarizes the real world and makes it feel unreal in others’ common perception. This calendar depicts my perception of the natural world as I often see it in abstract shapes that take on artificial qualities. The calendar will be a long illustration representing a defamiliarized world, with nature's elements being liquefied, twisted, and deformed, and the dates endlessly continuing.
The sun, mountains, water, and animals will be endowed with artificial qualities as they are being defamiliarized, and the typography will be merged into the environment. The days are counted from 7854 to 8219, which is the number of days I have been born into this world at the start of 2024. The calendar will be 365 cm long to symbolize the 365 days in the year, but there will be no clear division between months, nor will the dates be in a lined order. This is because my perception of time is not always measured by the standard; it is often measured by my feelings for the season, schooling, or specific projects, and it cannot be measured by week, month, or year.
While this calendar is not “real”, the project reflects the real feeling, which is the “truth”.
