GAIA
GAIA
Gaia: Original Idea
Alberto Martínez
Text
Alberto Martínez
Illustrations
Alberto Martínez
For the subject
Graphic Design V: Illustration in Graphic Design Communication
Earth fi nally rebeled aginst humans, because of what the did to her and the rest of its forms of life for so long. It was called the “great cataclysm�, wich ended with modern society, as had previously been known, and everything related to its way of life.
But as a mercyful mother, still hurt by the ofense of her corrupted children, she decided to give us a second chance, a new beginning. 10 generations later, we keep walking the path of the river that never ceases, living in harmony with our enviroment.
Of ancient civilization only remain the ruins of its passage through life. Cities became deserted, resulting in huge empty shells, and the new mankind established in small villages, where the way of life did not lead to evils such as anxiety or depression.
We started a new life, away from the practices of the ancient world. We learned to reconnect with mothe nature, also comunicate with her within the limits of sustainable survival, using all the resources she provided.
The people of the new world returned to the ancient practices of agriculture and animal breeding as methods of supplying each village, and them adopted the exchange of surplus as a way of trading. They also began to instruct children in these practice from an early age, so they could appreciate the value and the benefIts of working with Nature.
But not everything related to the ancient world was abandoned. We keep preserving the knowledge that people reached, and we still use a part of the technology that they developed, in order to make tha daily life and work among nature a little easier.
In our villages, from long time ago the creative and intellectual developement of each persone has become the main way to enjoy free time, when the fi eld work has been f nished, with different activities like music, dancing, or manual crafts, between others.
In fact, crafting is one of our basic skills, because thanks to it we are able to develop our own furniture, tools, and most importantly, our outfi ts. Masks and clothes we wear help us to survive, protecting us from direct contact with sunlight, wich combined with the current atmosphere, resulting from the cataclysm, is very harmful to our skin, unlike animals or plants, wich seem immune to this effect.
But not everything related to the ancient world was abandoned. We keep preserving the knowledge that people reached, and we still use a part of the technology that they developed, in order to make tha daily life and work among nature a little easier.
We spend so much time wearing our mask, which has become a part of our identity, that each person develops and customizes it from childhood. In this way, even wearing it is much easier to recognize each other.
Obtaining knowledge, tools and elements to improve our outfi ts is one of the main reasons for us to travel. All of us make at least one great journey in our lives, un order to test our skills, travelling through the world, visiting other villages and its natural surroundings.
But there are some specifi c places which people don’t use to go, the ancient ruins of the big cities. However, this places aren’t empty... from long time ago there are some who want to bring the old world back to life, following the poisoned steps of their predecessors.
This is not accepted by the most part of the people in villages, because they believe that it would lead to a second cataclysm. For this reason they refuse to trade with people in big cities, even interact with them in any way. They disaprove so much that way of life that they also tell awful things about cities to the children, so they don’t want to go there.
But the truth is that almost no one in the villages has been in the cities or knows someone who has been in there, so the most part of the things they tell are inventions based on the stories that have been passing from one generation to the following one, promoted by the fear of the unknown.
Alberto MartĂnez Athens 2016
Life goes on, A new cycle begins. GAIA is a self created story, based on the works I have done along my Fine Arts degree in Spain, the last 3 years. This book tells the story of the new beginning for humankind after a natural disaster which origins are unknown. At the same time, this story serves as the prologue for my next comic project, setting the scenario and the characteristics of this New World.