Alexxander

The monster you were running from is the monster in you.

With over 60 paintings, this series tells the story of a teenager struggling with schizophrenia; turning him against his mother. As we follow his journey through the New York subway, we discover what led to the sudden disappearance of his mother.

Concept, Illustration, Photography | Edmund Liang
Mentors | Richard Keyes

The Playbook

I love making tactile versions of projects. To me, creating props from a fantasy world and bringing it into our own blurs the line between fiction and reality. We know that the story make-believe, yet, before us is an object from exactly the world that we can see, touch, smell, hear, and even taste. For Alexxander, I made a playbook that resembles a water-damaged patient file folder—resembling an investigation document found under an open window during a rainstorm.

Inside are tons of little easter eggs like scripts, police evidence, diary entries, sketches, and over 60+ paintings and photographs that mirror Alexxander’s degrading mental condition. As viewers flip through the book, they’ll start to notice the typesetting and layout become more chaotic. They’ll start seeing the pages change color from grey to red, covered in stains and burn marks.

Front Cover

Folder was made to look like a patient file that was heavily water damaged from the rain.

Inside Cover

Under the cover stored found evidence like photos, origami, and diary entries that documented Alexxander’s condition.

Credits

All the contributors to the project. Everybody is fictional, except for me.

Accordion Fold Closed

It would’ve been too much paper to bring all the 70+ paintings of the series. So I selected specific pieces instead and creates these accordion folds for the viewer to pull out.

Accordion Fold Expanded

This way the viewer can see the sequence of the story beats like a roll of film.

Opening Quote

The book opens with this thought to set the tone.

Synopsis 1

Outline of the play.

Cryptic Sketches

Documentation of strange sketches found throughout Alexxander’s belongings.

Synopsis 2

Close-up details.

Playbook Content

Below is a glimpse into the many illustrations created to bring Alexxander’s world to life.

Reoccurring Sketch

Many of similar drawings were found in Alexxander’s sketchbooks. Notice the two fish in the center.

Alexxander's Diary Entry

His doctor has asked him to keep a journal. This was one page from it before his mother died.

Vision of His Mother's Blood

Alexx explains that he’s constantly haunted by a scene of his mother’s blood pouring out of a washer.

The Dream Part 1

Alexx finds himself in the middle of the street in his neighborhood in NYC. He finds a polaroid that leads him into the subways.

Subconscious

Alexx reaches into his own thoughts.

Psychiatric Ward

In his dream, Alexx finds himself underwater in his hospital.

Dream Part 2

Alexx wanders deeper and deeper through the subway stations only to find each station to be less and less recognizable. He eventually ends up at his hospital.