Preorders open until AUGUST 30, 2024
Ash is a Case Study of the journal of 9 year old Emma K. re-produced by N.I.M.H institute for the study of childhood schizophrenia. Childhood schizophrenia is a real albeit extremely rare occurrence. Cases under the age of 10 are considered the rarest and most damaging occurrences of this sickness.
In 1960 9 year old Emma K. appeared fairly normal except for some mild social issues. She received a journal from her mother that Christmas. Emma was an only child.
Emma was not serious about writing in her journal at first. She would go a day or two or three without making any entries in the journal. Then in late February tragedy struck when her father was killed in a car accident.
Shortly after the accident Emma becomes compulsive about making daily entries. She starts to mention a new friend in her journal. Unusual because Emma had no friends and was socially awkward to say the least. The journal entries start to change almost immediately, and grow darker and darker. Little drawings by Emma become more and more disturbing as her "relationship" with Ash evolves into the depths of her schizophrenia.
Ash is a journey into the mind of a child schizophrenic with M.P.D. coping with a tragedy and her eventual surrender to her sickness.
In 1975 the actual journal was acquired by a Psychiatrist at the National Institute of Mental Health. He was so taken with the book he felt it should be a case study.
In 1979 the journal was re-produced as a hard cover Case Study. Ash is linear. It can be read from start to finish.
There are entries that you can reveal. There are drawings that you can reveal. There are many little subtleties that can be revealed.
You never peek the book, you never ask for a page number or entry date.
The scans are of the actual hand written and hand drawn pictures.
This is both a book test and an art piece.