about

SimoneDunye

My personal work is primarily concerned with fantasy and process. I work almost exclusively in handmade paper or print. The themes I explore are drawn from board games and Dungeons and Dragons. I am interested in the aesthetics of these specific types of games and how they allow for immersion through group storytelling and world building. My interest in the process is not just limited to the material processes of creating and image in print or paper but also in the way stories are created in DnD.

When broken down into individual parts these games' structural and modular elements, such as a hexagonal map or a point system to measure a character’s abilities are able to aid players and dungeon masters in creating fantastical stories that want to be explored.

Those core elements are used in the same way in my work, as a structure to play in. The confines of those vague numbers and shapes become a place for play in my work. The limitations of print and paper also provide me with a set of predetermined tools, much like game pieces, that I can play with to create a narrative. However, I am not too concerned with creating an obvious narrative in my work, as I feel like the content I create should be able space for the audience to engage with their imaginations as well. What I imagine for the work serves as a suggestion rather than the goal of the piece. What the audience makes up and what stories they tell about the work is just as valuable.