Welcome to the Fantastical Adventures of Escalus!
These works chronicle my betta’s various adventures in quarantine in the form of a storybook as a form of escapism. When suddenly my world became reduced to the confines of my house and human contact became distant, I felt a strong urge to go outside, explore, and pursue my crazy bucket list dreams. My fish were my comfort and companions throughout quarantine. So instead, Escalus is living out those dreams for me. He goes on an odyssey through nature and cities, known and unknown, real and abstract, and the mundane and the whimsical. The art inspiration for the form of a story book originated from Andy Warhol’s children books. This project is quite different from what my thesis was going to be, but given the darkness in the world at the moment, I wanted to use this space to bring positivity both to myself, and hopefully others. I hope you have as much fun looking through them as I did making them.
Christina
Escalus de Soto is a 10 month old veintail betta. His origins are a mystery, but he made his way to his former residence at Princeton, NJ in a harrowing journey. As a true intellectual, his past times are contemplating the meaning of life, going for long swims, and brooding. He currently resides in Miami with his mother, grandparents, and older brother, Benvolio. He plans on relocating to New York City in the fall.
This is Escalus, he lives in a tank.
His friend, the plant.
Tuesday tea party for one.
He finds a forest.
Venturing through the forest.
Zooming by.
Hiding.
He leaves the forest, and sees the sun.
Eclipsing the sun.
Going to the store, he found toilet paper!
Finding a meadow.
Escalus stops to smell the flowers.
Looking through the clouds.
So long meadow.
Rainbow in the rain.
Escalus hits the books.
Escalus goes through canyons,
Scales a mountain,
And, under the sea.
Coral reef.
He goes to the city.
Wall street. Bulls and bears.
Soaking up the sun.
Party animal.
Eye of the storm.
Escalus is a pirate. He sails on stormy seas.
In a snow fort.
Dusk.
Escalus sees the northern lights.
Night time exploring.
Stars.
Saturday night fever.
Bedtime.
Night night, Escalus.