Jordan Chatwin
Camberwell College of Arts
Explanation of work
What struck me about the book was the seamless juxtaposition of a dark, sinister tension and a romantic idealism. The book drops in and out of both and I wanted to bring this out on the front cover.
I looked at yearbooks and yearbook photographs due to the nostalgic nature of the book (the narrator is writing about these events ten or so years after they happen) and found a photograph that resembled the description of Bunny, the character who is murdered. By scratching away his face it references both murders, the often obsessive nature of the characters and also the snow that later covers Bunny’s body.
The floral pattern to me captures the rich New England lifestyle that the book portrays. It represents the over-indulgent and romantic idealism (and also the location and nature of the first murder). It frames the photograph like a metaphor for the way the characters are ignorant of the horror they cause, choosing instead to carry on with their lives, pretending everything is fine.
