Broken Saints >>
Brooke Burgess
"A mature graphic novel in Flash with original artwork, haunting music, and
gripping storylines." -Brooke Burgess, co-creator
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||| HIAFF 3.0 | university of colorado | department of art and art history | digital arts area | in conjunction with alt-x | atlas | blurr
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Grace Sterns: How would you describe "Broken Saints" in one to two sentences?
Brook Burgess: A mature graphic novel in Flash with original artwork, haunting
music, and gripping storylines. Broken Saints creates a hypnotic aura that
compels readers/viewers to experience the cryptic saga that ensnares its four
very different protagonists.
GS: How long have you been involved in and creating Internet-based art work
projects like Broken Saints?
BB: I've been working in the interactive entertainment field (videogame
production and design) for nearly five years, but Broken Saints is my first
solely 'web-based' production. The project began with a concept definition
approximately one year ago.
GS: With rapidly the changing technology around us how do you plan to make
sure
that people can still view Broken Saints (i.e. do you plan to eventually
upgrade it, archive it, or was it intended to be a temporary work?)
BB: The Broken Saints story was originally intended to be 'finite'; a dramatic
series of arcs was created that would conclude after 24 chapters, so we
originally had a 'wait-and-see' attitude where it concerns the future of the
site. Presently, the BS property is being courted by representatives from
different entertainment mediums, so there is the possibility that the
site/story would continue in an upgraded format...as long as the fans are
still
there :)
GS: When looking at internet art works, do you personally prefer more image
based ("flashy") pieces?
BB: CONTENT has always been the key to keeping my interest/attention-span. I
want to experience art in ANY medium that compels me to think, challenges my
perceptions, and invites me to revisit it with fresh senses. Much of the image-
based material online may be briefly titillating (almost a reflection of the
stalwart of web content - pornography), but it has no creative wherewithal. At
the same time, text-based sites may contain fascinating content that evolves
at
a regular pace, but the process of text 'consumption' from a computer monitor
leaves me feeling detached. Before I began with Broken Saints, I examined what
forms the web audience was most comfortable with, and the three types of
content that surfers were most enamored/familiar with were: pictures, text,
and
(more recently) music. Being such a huge fan of graphic literature, here was
the perfect opportunity to create something that would evolve the comic medium
AND present the net audience with something novel that still combined the
primary forms they were accustomed to. So again, it all boils down to
content...though imagery is indeed part of the message.
GS: Is there a goal/mission statement behind Broken Saints?
BB: Tell a damn compelling story that is thought-provoking, socially aware,
and
more than a little bit creepy. I'm tired of the lowbrow 'assault' in Western
media, and the growing popularity of Broken Saints proves that there is a
chunk
of society that is famished for this type of storytelling.
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