P04 → Broken Escalator
Digital Direction and Editorial Design
Broken or Stuck Escalator is a satirical exploration of passivity, unconsciousness, and the mechanization of labor in the context of the fourth machine age and the rise of artificial intelligence. The piece critically examines the escalator as a symbol of mechanized labor, representing a world where humans are reduced from active participants to mere nodes in a vast capitalist network. Through this lens, the escalator becomes a totem of commodification, illustrating how automation shapes both our environments and our roles within them.
The project takes the form of a zine, which has been showcased at various independent publishing fairs, alongside a short, digitally animated film created in Blender. The film, with its grainy, surreal aesthetic, evokes an eerie and absurd atmosphere, drawing inspiration from the work of Torso Studios for Balenciaga. Through these mediums, Broken or Stuck Escalator invites viewers to reflect on the diminishing agency of individuals in an increasingly automated, AI-driven world, where labor and existence are mechanized to the point of detachment.