• BA Illustration

Sonder

Jack Kearney

In this project, I wanted to consider the feeling of overhearing conversations on the street. The title, 'Sonder' is a word coined by Jack Koenig to describe the realisation that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. In this I wanted to portray that sensation and also show my own response to the notion of sonder.
This work was inspired by Sophie Calle’s work 'La Filature' or 'The Shadow' as a response to the city street and our relationship with the people we share it with. It also touches on the theory of ‘The Derive’ invented by Situationists International (SI) as a way to engage with spaces and surroundings in a cognitive, curious and playful way. I gathered overheard snippets of conversation and created a series of illustrations inspired by them. I then returned the conversations to streets from where they came by pasting up the transcripts around town.
I combine a hand drawn illustration style with a digital practice. I am interested in music and philosophy and I try to make these influences known through my work. I work mostly with a combination of pen, paper and digital media.