Longing for Her is an illustrated retelling of The Little Mermaid fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen, told in a zine format, within a Victorian puzzle purse, with elements of comics, such as panelling. This format would allow me to play to my strengths in illustration and visual storytelling, while still challenging my typical practice by creating an experimental zine through origami paper-crafting. The Victorian puzzle purse creates a unique environment to explore the restrictions that Western society places on identities, and especially sexuality. Foucault states in The History of Sexuality that during the Victorian Era, “Sexuality was carefully confined” (Foucault, 3). By entrapping this story in the confines of the puzzle purse, the mermaid can break out of these repressions with every layer that is unfolded.
