Artist Statement
You Could Die! (But You Probably Won’t)
Arden Sandford
My series, “You Could Die! (But you Probably Won’t)” explores my own death related paranoia and invasive thoughts surrounding my own mortality. It offers viewers a glimpse into the kinds of thoughts I have on a day-to-day basis, even in the most mundane of situations. The series uses a comic panel format to tell a short story. In each entry a small cartoon character is going about their daily life when they are suddenly set upon by a dangerous monster. Just when it seems like the worst will happen (that being death) it is revealed that there was a simple solution and the monster was in fact, not real. In this case the monsters represent both my fear of death (ever present, but generally harmless), but also death itself which is a constant reality. In contrast to other works on a similar topic, I want my series to have a bit more of a humorous approach; one because it suits my personality, but also because it makes the subject more accessible to outsiders. I feel like opening the door with comedy for more complicated subjects can make those who don’t relate to the issue more open to discussing the topic further. This approach allows viewers to gain new insight as opposed to if the topic was handled in a way that made it feel too serious or monumental. At the same time I want the series to have a bit of an edge because the thoughts and fears themselves are uncomfortable, and I’d like the work to reflect that aspect to a certain extent. I find that people also tend to have an unexplained fascination with things that are kind of morbid so I’m not too worried about people being alienated by that type of subject matter.