Joanne Fu

Graphic Design - BA (Hons)

When I first read about Alice’s experiences after eating a mushroom in ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’, I was fascinated by the strangeness of it all — the way Alice grew, then shrunk and struggled as she desperately tried to regain a sense of normality. 

A few years later I would experience something like Alice’s strange transformations for myself. One night I was walking down the corridor of my house, and my surroundings suddenly began to distort, my limbs seemed to stretch, and I began to wonder if I was going crazy.

This brings us to my final major project, where I have tried to simulate what I recall of that profoundly disorientating experience. I later learned that it is known in the medical profession as Alice in Wonderland syndrome. My book ‘Rare Sight’ introduces and attempts to visualise for normal-sighted people what someone with Alice in Wonderland syndrome sees and experiences. Also included in the book are visualisations of five other peculiar visual impairments, allowing viewers to experience them via ‘realistic’ photo simulations. Using mundane images of everyday life, I manipulated them to represent the symptoms. By doing this, I hope to create awareness and empathy for these little-known invisible disabilities.

What this journey has taught me is that I enjoy the process of creating layouts. I’ve always loved anything regarding books, so this conclusion appeared inevitable. I hope this experience helps me in furthering my skills in editorial design and publishing.