Other Worlds: A Multi-Disciplinary Portfolio of Alternative Realities

Abstract

This project explores the human tendency of fleeing the real world and constructing a more desirable other. While the notion of creating an alternate world—worldbuilding as it is referred—may seem extremely individualistic, and therefore insular, personal worlds always have political implications and can, therefore, serve to critique larger cultural structures and societies. This paper will particularly analyze worldbuilding as an intentional process of constructing a new space without socially prescribed constraints that is in some way better than a person’s current reality. While worldbuilding is at times a survival tactic, can it simultaneously promote isolation from others? Additionally, if worldbuilding is a strategy to achieve other-worldly transcendence, what are the consequences of losing earthly ties? These questions are addressed through an exploration of the alternative worlds within the works of authors, artists, and characters of various countries and time periods, presenting the universal and timeless need to create an otherwise.