An editorially-inspired parody for a online art exhibition
The first time I heard the title 'Art Director' was on a behind-the-scenes doc about Star Trek: The Next Generation. As a kid I loved seeing how they created the futuristic console layouts and the part design played in world-building.
Three decades later, illustrator Steven Johnson asked me to contribute to an online gallery celebrating 35 years of the show. Just one problem – I'm not really an illustrator. So I decided to approach the brief to celebrate a single episode as an editorial project.
DAY 1
Rather than celebrate the fan favourites, I chose a bang-average episode, the rashomon inspired 'A Matter of Perspective'. In the spirit of the best science-fiction, I wanted to be a little satirical and hold up a mirror to today’s society. Above all I wanted it to be a bit of fun.
The project ended up being a fiver-parter, with the events of the episode being played out in 24th Century versions of today's media. I figured the story would start small by being first picked up by specialist media.
DAY 2
What would a future version of The Guardian look like? That was what I wanted to explore here, with the story being picked up as breaking news in a paper packed full of deep cut references for Trekkies to pour over.
DAY 3
As the story enters its sensational – and downright hokey – trial scenes. I wanted the press coverage to be no less sensational and play with present day tabloid media tropes while keeping everything firmly in the fictional world.
DAY 4
As the drama develops, the commentariat get involved, skewering both the events of the episode and the sexual politics of a 90s TV show through a modern lens.
DAY 5
In a story that's all about differing perspectives, I wanted to take a peak at the other side of the fence and imagine how the alien antagonists' own media might cover the denouement. The story ends with some unresolved, grey areas which an embarrassed, nationalistic and populist publication would exploit to the full.
There was a great reaction from Trekkie's and artists alike. and I really enjoyed having a bit of fun on the final frontier.