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Bob DeLusion
Bob DeLusion is a series of three-panel comics featuring the character Bob DeLusion. His appearance, name and the fact that he is (at least in the first few strips) a photographer is based on the real-life personality of Bob DeBris (ex-husband of the artist Ann Hamilton), who I was friends with when I lived in Santa Barbara in the late 80's/early 90's. The idea behind the comic is that in the first frame of each strip Bob finds himself in a situation that the average person would develop a common narrative from but what Bob experiences and concludes is always quite the opposite. For example, pictured here, in the first frame, Bob is on safari taking pictures of wildlife: specifically a lion and lioness eating a zebra. In the second frame, a Maasai warrior interrupts him and the lions look up from their game. In the third frame, we see Bob posing with the very willing cats over their trophy as the Maasai snaps a picture with Bob's camera. The humor in each strip is easy and predictable in an unpredictable way but the real motive behind this strip is more of a social goal...to plant a seed of alternative thinking in our minds, which are not necessarily neutral to ideas because of conclusions we draw based on formulas offered to us in film, literature and music. The title and end to each strip suggest that the outcome is not necessarily reality but more of a state of delusion in Bob's mind. Perhaps, in this case, he is really speared by the Maasai or devoured by the lions.
Bob DeLusion is a series of three-panel comics featuring the character Bob DeLusion. His appearance, name and the fact that he is (at least in the first few strips) a photographer is based on the real-life personality of Bob DeBris (ex-husband of the artist Ann Hamilton), who I was friends with when I lived in Santa Barbara in the late 80's/early 90's. The idea behind the comic is that in the first frame of each strip Bob finds himself in a situation that the average person would develop a common narrative from but what Bob experiences and concludes is always quite the opposite. For example, pictured here, in the first frame, Bob is on safari taking pictures of wildlife: specifically a lion and lioness eating a zebra. In the second frame, a Maasai warrior interrupts him and the lions look up from their game. In the third frame, we see Bob posing with the very willing cats over their trophy as the Maasai snaps a picture with Bob's camera. The humor in each strip is easy and predictable in an unpredictable way but the real motive behind this strip is more of a social goal...to plant a seed of alternative thinking in our minds, which are not necessarily neutral to ideas because of conclusions we draw based on formulas offered to us in film, literature and music. The title and end to each strip suggest that the outcome is not necessarily reality but more of a state of delusion in Bob's mind. Perhaps, in this case, he is really speared by the Maasai or devoured by the lions.