A PERILOUS JOURNEY
A Perilous Journey is an interactive "storybook" about a young girl navigating her way through a magical realm. With no written chronicle as reference, and only the most crucial and climactic moments of her tale to draw from, viewers must rely on their own imaginations and "write" the protagonist’s story.
The goal in allowing this space for interpretation is to promote the use of and patience for one's personal sense of wonder in a world where information is immediately accessible - unlike my own pre-internet childhood where people were often left to imagine the possibilities of their curiosities long before their questions might be answered.
The project was first exhibited at San Francisco’s Modern Eden Gallery in 2014, and again at The Gladstone Hotel’s Come Up to My Room event in 2017). At the second exhibition, two additional panels were inserted between the chapters, and paper, markers, and other writing utensils were provided so that guests could add their own passages to the story.
Although I initially worried that few people would actually participate, by the end of the show, the previously empty panels had amassed so many contributions that they were several inches thick. Many of the pinned-up papers contained beautiful, moving, and poetic words and hand-drawn imagery from visitors of all ages.
A book format of the exhibition containing all the chapters alongside blank lined pages was also made available so that people could write down their own stories to take home. Copies of the A Perilous Journey Write-Your-Own adventure book are available in my online shop.
My sincerest gratitude to the Toronto Arts Council for awarding this project their generous grant, and for believing in my peculiar, dreamy world.