Fall 2024 – Book
Hysteria Is Not Dead is a book created based on the Decoder Ring Podcast episode titled “The Hysteria over Mass Hysteria”. This podcast delves into historical and contemporary cases of mass hysteria and the way research has affected our view of the medical condition.
After exploring several forms, I settled on an accordion bound book which features pages that get larger for each of the four sections. The book features inkblot imagery reminiscent of the outdated practice of Rorschach tests and real photography of hysteria patients from the 1900s.
Through the design and form of the book, I wanted to literally demonstrate the spread of hysteria. Meanwhile the changing color showcases how hysteria, once thought to just be a problem with emotional women, is now seen as a real, documented condition.