Targeted. [Presented at ICON 12: the 12th Illustration Conference, Gallery Show]

A peer selection of practice-based research for the ICON 12: Gallery Show. Chambers Gallery, Downtown Minneapolis, US. July 12th, 2024.An illustration taken from ongoing practice-based research which interrogates the language of wordless illustration, critically evolving traditional approaches of narrative design into immersive spatial contexts. The author contends that by deconstructing the bound book, and by removing the written word, opportunities for multi-linear storytelling arise which confront new ways in which narrative experiences might be designed and understood. Discussions emerge which seek to comprehend the possibilities of interconnected panels and frames when organised as freeform spatial arrangements. A theoretical model is applied through practical examples, examining how drawing functions as divergent modes of communication when applied as a spatial narrative experience. The author argues for the benefits of these reading experiences which encourage deeper engagement and learning opportunities through co-constructed group discussion.This research culminates in a larger body of work, led by consultation with Barnardo’s National Counter Trafficking Centre in the U.K. The output serves as an educational and preventative tool with the aim of raising awareness around the crisis of child exploitation, applying wordless illustration to interrogate complex issues such as criminal exploitation, county lines, domestic servitude and debt bondage. This narrative is told through the perspective of a child, exploring routes of choice and consequence, demonstrating how smaller decisions may lead to multiple layers of exploitation. Designed for children between the ages of 8-10, and contextualised in the education system, this output additionally seeks to broaden dialog between parents and teachers. The research examines the possibilities for the design of narrative material that is unrestrained by commercial necessity. In this context, the role of the authorial illustrator becomes central to the investigation, seeking the boundaries between narrative form, content and education.Johnson, R. (2024) Targeted [Exhibit]. ICON: the 12th illustration conference, gallery show. Chambers Gallery, Downtown Minneapolis.