My project is an investigation into how we engage and interact with parasocial relationships. As an illustrator and animator, I have a big passion for visual narratives. Working across multiple disciplines I am intrigued not only by the structure of the narratives themselves, but by the way we, the audience, engage with the characters within. Why are we drawn to these particular characters? Do they influence who we are as people, and what are the ways in which this can happen?
Coined in 1956, a parasocial relationship can be defined as a one sided infatuation with a media personality or persona that does not know we exist. Within a digital age, now dominated by media celebrities the impact of these relationships is louder and the access we have to lives outside of our own far exceeds what existed before.
My work primarily uses digital media to explore varying degrees of parasocial interaction and engagement.
The Audience
The Persona
Irreplaceable, comic cover
Is this real?
Desperate, back cover
Mobile view
What is the Draw?