Damage
With four lead character designs presented in printed posters, and the use of background lore and sculptures, I created an interactive exhibition that explores my experience while suffering from PTSD due to domestic abuse. Each character represents a different stage of emotions that connect with my experience after the trauma, in the order of shame, anger, grief and fear. I designed illustrations and graphic artifacts that will engage and challenge the viewer, while constructing an installation to immerse the audience in the experience and help educate them on the side effects of domestic abuse.
Artist Statement
Sam Brass: Character Designer
What’s better than sketching up some weird characters that are quirky and engaging, having a background of trauma that’s relatable, being able to educate others on the subject, and still keeping it captivating? I can’t imagine what could be a more entertaining career path.
Throughout my life, I’ve been intrigued by the designs of cartoon characters and how unique they can be. What I began to realize as I got older was the loving shows I watched had serious undertones in their stories, and multidimensional characters that made me step back from my childhood and rethink how I viewed these shows and the varied purposes that they had.
Cartoons aren’t merely meant for kids, and I wanted to bring my own spin on traumatized characters that are emotional, sketchy and moody from my own personal experiences, while allowing the style to be marketed to any and all audiences.
