The Suburbs of Hell

The Suburbs of Hell is a story about our world and the characters in the story are us. This body of work narrates the lives of the man on the tube that almost pushed you over with his briefcase in one hand and coffee in the other, the salary man passed out on the ground in Tokyo at 4am- suit and tie and beer, suburbia’s satisfied son grinning and ignorant. The story is also about the common starling singing default ringtones and mimicking the human language, a porcupine in the mouth of a silver fox and a stag with broken antlers. The collection looks at ritual in man and animal and the line in which man is just animal. Themes of uncanny and hyperreality are met with the juxtaposition of animal parts in replacement for what should be human and familiar. An influence on the realisation of this concept was ‘An Amorous Discourse in the Suburbs of Hell’. A poetry book by Deborah Levy. The poem is a conversation between an angel flown down from paradise and an accountant on earth. It explores themes surrounding contentment, ignorance, and love. What would it take to be pushed out of comfort? The collection delves into several trails of thought and many pockets of research are opened when looking into each of the final looks. Investigation and exploration have developed along a continuum as I keep finding myself inspired and drawn to new ideas constantly. The recording of all my thought processes have been documented using a series of journals that spans 9 A5 books. This is a part of my work that I see equally as important as the garments and an exercise vital to the creative process. The Suburbs of Hell doesn’t finish with this project and the story isn’t fiction nor does it come to an end; it reflects humanity in today’s world. The best way to understand the project is just to observe.