PROTECT & SURVIVE
Protect & Survive is a fictional comic set inside in a nuclear bunker, written, illustrated and produced by Juliet Sugg.
A giant, immersive installation which satirises 1950s sci fi comics and the threat of nuclear attack as an analogy for the recovery from sexual abuse and depression.
The story unfolds via illustrated ‘moments’, a huge narrative diagram, audio fragments, sculptural dioramas and performance. A theatrical experience, essentially it is a live graphic novel, whereby viewers engage with the narrative by stepping into a replication of the comic; inhabiting its drama and watching the characters exist within its fictional world. The artist invites both the viewer and performer to confront subject matter in a candid and personal manner.
It was first produced in collaboration with Kunsthaus Curators in November 2013 in a surviving WW2 underground bunker in Dalston, East London. Due to its successful run in 2013 it was reprised in November 2014 and then again at Hornsey Town Hall in October 2015. A retrospective of the show took place in Bootstrap Gallery, 2015.
Protect & Survive was the artist's intention to bridge a gap between two-dimensional illustration, performance and installation, moving the perceived medium of comics forward and pushing the boundaries of narrative art.
The full comic and prints from the show are also available.