Physical darkness and emotional darkness are themes that are common across my work throughout the Altered States project. To me, the term altered states suggests a more eerie and uneasy take on states that already exist. This doesn't necessarily refer to horror or sci-fi themes, but more of those that challenge the typical understanding of an established state.
For example what you experience day-to-day is an established state for you. However, what happens in the background or in concept, such as in space or in our heads, is often in the dark; rarely acknowledged or thought about.
In regards to research I looked towards themes and concepts that exist and are established by theory whilst being those that do not necessarily appear common in our lives. One example of this is the Scandinavian genre of Scandi Noir or Nordic Noir. Often accompanied by dreary weather and dry colours, such as greys, black and hazy blues, the typically crime-drama genre is considered “simple”, getting straight to the point without flowering the story up to appeal to those who like a nice happy story. Good. Sometimes it is interesting to have a purely dark theme throughout a story, which is what the genre successfully creates.
Well known shows and films from the genre include:
^ The Bridge (TV Series)
^ Bordertown (Netflix Series)
^ Deadwind (Netflix Series)
Evidently from these 3 examples, they all use the same themes and aesthetics. to some extent this could be repetitive and get boring after a while. They also almost always play with the idea of tension between the two countries; Sweden and Denmark. That being said the consistent darkness, be that visually or thematically, is what makes the Scandi / Nordic Noir genre stand out and fit in well within my understanding of the Altered States project.
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