Torrey Gleason
Travel Posters
Through my series of travel posters, I examine how identity can be represented aesthetically. Inspired by the iconic travel posters of the art deco and art nouveau era, I have depicted “lost cities” of legendary or mythological importance from various global cultures and time periods. These places, such as El Dorado, Camelot, and Atlantis, have real historical roots but have an otherworldly mystique about them, and through the many retellings of their story, it has become impossible to precisely draw the line between fact and fiction. By observing discrepancies between different accounts of famous legends, the posters highlight how differences in cultural values influence interpretations of storytelling. The work calls into question the relationship between fact and myth, and how both individual and national identity is informed by them in relation to place.