SAPPHIC INTIMACY - SECRECY

December 2022

Tools used: Photoshop, InDesign

Belonging to my project titled Sapphic Intimacy, my Secrecy themed book was inspired by the fictional novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Representation in the media is a crucial step towards acceptance and I wanted to explore how women loving women relationships are represented through literature. I depicted the theme of secrecy by using a risograph to print white ink on a light grey paper stock, allowing the text to be hidden until it hits the light at the right angle. The book starts off with a letter between the two secret lovers using code names for one another, followed by a series of hidden messages using the white ink, a smaller insert hidden in the center of a spread, and a number of blank pages that makes the reader ponder if there is hidden text on all pages, as well as to represent the passing of time. The book ends with one final letter, this time using their real names to show they are ready to step into the public eye. The front cover is blank and the back cover is sealed with a kiss. All body copy within the book was taken from passages of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.