Caw-Caw by Alina Bistrova | Coursera & CALARTS project

The purpose of this book is to showcase and potentially alter people's perceptions of the image of the crow. On the cover, the crow appears stern and black, reflecting the stereotypical association as a symbol of occult attributes, mystique. As the book is flipped through, a personalized relationship with the image is established - excerpts from family books about people with the surname Crow, personal documents, as well as interactions between crows and humans. Additionally, as the pages are turned, green is gradually introduced as a symbol of youth, renewal, nature, and hope. Furthermore, through compositional and color choices, a sense of dynamics is created - flying birds until the very last page. On the back cover, the crow is shown covering a sleeping child with a blanket, aiming to evoke tenderness and calmness. Moreover, there's a surprising element where the black crow that appeared on the first cover exits it on the final page, now having a white color. This serves as a metaphor for the purification of the crow's image and symbolism.