Before the Door 문 앞에서
Written & Illustrated by Kyoung-Mi, Ahn / Publisher WoongJin ThinkBig
Published in Korean
World Illustration Awards 2021, Professional Alternative Publishing Category, Shortlisted
Why did you make this work?
Books and life have structural similarities. As if pages repeat and then a book ends, life ends after repeating days. Inspired by this, I made a book about a bizarre door with only an entrance and no exit that repeats endlessly. The protagonist draws a line on the door whenever she opens it, showing the meaning of repetitive days. The overlapped lines become colors, and colors go beyond the door.
Books and life have structural similarities. As if pages repeat and then a book ends, life ends after repeating days. Inspired by this, I made a book about a bizarre door with only an entrance and no exit that repeats endlessly. The protagonist draws a line on the door whenever she opens it, showing the meaning of repetitive days. The overlapped lines become colors, and colors go beyond the door.
How was the illustration used:
The illustrations are used for my picture book that is produced in two ways. The first is Codex Binding, which is used for commercial publication. The second is French door binding, which is employed for special editions. Also, the original works will be exhibited at galleries and bookshops.
The illustrations are used for my picture book that is produced in two ways. The first is Codex Binding, which is used for commercial publication. The second is French door binding, which is employed for special editions. Also, the original works will be exhibited at galleries and bookshops.
How did you make this work:
The works were created with charcoal and pencil and finished digitally. I placed the door in the same position on all pages and used a static shot to emphasize repeatability. Theatrically exaggerated gestures of the characters help to avoid visual boredom due to repetition. For special editions, I adopted French door binding that enables the readers to feel as if they are opening the door.
The works were created with charcoal and pencil and finished digitally. I placed the door in the same position on all pages and used a static shot to emphasize repeatability. Theatrically exaggerated gestures of the characters help to avoid visual boredom due to repetition. For special editions, I adopted French door binding that enables the readers to feel as if they are opening the door.
What’s your favorite thing about the project?
I am satisfied with expressing emotions using only the characters' body movements with limited colors and facial expressions. Also, I enjoyed experimenting with the book as a limited space like a theatrical stage. To do so, I used a static shot that allows the readers to view the book like a theater spectator and changed to a point-of-view shot only at the climax to get the readers involved intensely. French-door bookbinding also helped the readers feel like they are opening the door themselves when they turn pages.
