This project was very personal to me. I had to create a zine centering around my experience during the 2020 COVID-19 quarantine, which I spent trapped in an abusive relationship. I was unsure how to approach this project at first. It seemed appropriate to either soften my story or direct away from it somehow. However, trying to do so felt hollow and disingenuous. I decided that I should tell my story true to life even if it would be difficult to read.
I decided to make my zine a choose-your-own-adventure experience to emphasize the cyclical nature of an abusive relationship. You are often forced to return to previous passages and re-choose to progress, symbolizing the feeling of reliving the same day over and over.
All the illustrations in OUROBOROS were hand drawn, scanned, and placed into the document without being touched up. Purposeful flaws were left to impart a sense of humanity on the reader. Optical illusions were included to create a sense of confusion and malaise.
Saddle stitched zine; 8" x 10" closed, 16" x 10" spread
