THE BOOK OF MANY SUNS
2022
The Book of Many Suns is a transmedia storytelling project that is set in a fictional universe, and follows two teenagers Kiran and Asha as they find a magical storybook that allows them to travel through the myths and legends that are recorded within. Through the book, the kids journey through time and space as they meet the interesting protagonists, antagonists and all those in between from the stories that have been passed down to us for generations. This project began as a tool to introduce stories that may be more obscure to the mainstream audience, and to be able to shed light on fascinating oral histories and legends that we may not be able to access typically. The project is divided into three segments: a comic book, an Instagram account, and a website.
Programs Used: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Procreate, Sims 4, and Blender.
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The Comic Book
The comic book is the primary mode of storytelling, in which each volume focuses on Kiran and Asha’s journey to a different myth. In Volume One, the only comic illustrated for this project so far, they meet Savitri and Satyavan, a famous legend from within the Mahabharata, a Hindu text. The beginning of the comic also serves to introduce the two characters briefly, and how they come into possession of the book itself. And whilst it doesn’t go into a lot of detail, the intention is that now that the reader is aware that they have it, the easter eggs that were set up in this initial volume can be further developed in later volumes as we explore more about why it was them that was chosen to be the holder of the magic, how the book existed to begin with, and any other details that could be utilised to create a more robust, well-rounded world. Overall, the comics were an accessible method to impart information, and tell stories, as the visual language was able to express moments, emotions, and details in ways that don’t require too much textual exposition.
The Instagram Account
The second method of storytelling was through the creation of their instagram account. Given that Kiran and Asha are Gen-Z’ers, it felt natural that a social media profile would exist as a continuation of their travels — their adventures and voices being captured and shared through their first-hand documentation. To achieve the aesthetic of 3D characters, and creating life-like personas, I <implemented/employed> the life simulation game SIMS 4. Kiran and Asha were modelled on this platform, from their looks, to clothing choices, character traits, and lifelong ambitions, after which they were placed into the world to be photographed. As part of this method of storytelling, various forms of architecture were custom built so as to fulfil the visual and spatial needs of the project. Thus, the spaces or ancillary characters required to create the world of the myth they had entered would be built so as to create the set within which they could take photographs to document their experiences.
A snippet from the project's documentation video that specifically explores the project's implementation of the Sims 4 software:
The Website
The final exploration is through the website. I wanted to include a website so that I would have a space to host all the various parts of this project. The goal is that as the project expands, either through additional volumes in the comics, or even exploring new pieces of media, the website would act as a central hub where they could all reside. Furthermore, since many of the myths and legends that I wanted to approach may not be very well known to the general public, I thought that it would be important to provide additional resources and links so that people can easily read more into these stories, find the various versions of them. Basically, acting as a starting point to learning more about these stories and where they originated from.
