Digital printmaker Dr. Phil Shaw creates striking images of the title spines of books on shelves to tell tales with a specific theme in mind. In his “Shelf Isolation” series, Shaw uses this medium to talk about isolation in these current times, using time wisely and the need for physical distance between one another. Shaw explains his thought process around creating these storytelling images.
Just beyond the surface of a picture, the membrane that separates reality from fiction, we are able to experience the impossible. My world, the world beyond the picture plane, abounds with strange coincidences, contradictions, and paradoxes; it’s where I live. My world is a place where humour is a serious matter, and its purpose is not simply to raise a laugh but to call attention to the puzzling absurdities and the dangerous myths, that permeate all our lives.
