alternate
“alternate” is a book of an alternative world. It was designed for IDEO “End of Life” project which was exhibited at California College of the Arts in April 2018.​​​​​​​
When your friends and family go into another world, how will your shared stories continue?
Each page is folded over, outside white and inside black. On the outside white page, there are 5 happy stories about 5 different persons who spend time with their family or friends. Only when you cut the white page, you would see the inside story on the black page: they both died when they were young and the story on the white page would never come true. “Alternate" shows a beautiful possibility for those who have lost the people they love. You can also choose to never cut the page and leave the truth hidden.
The only way to see the black story inside is to cut the white page, which is irreversible. I use the metaphor of mimosa pudica, also called sensitive plant, which has a curiosity value: the compound leaves fold inward when touched or shaken. I put the unfold sensitive plant on the edge of each page. After you cut it, it will show the folded leaves on the black page.
Credits
Amo Zhou (Graphic Design); Siyu Zhang (Creative Copy)
Catherine Herdlick (Mentor)