Though the story is as well-worn as any myth, the plot of the original Star Wars trilogy–spanning planets, and with a deep cast of characters–is epically complex. With his current exhibit at Los Angeles’s Gallery1988, Artist and mapmaker Andrew DeGraff seeks to plot the events of each film in as much detail as possible.
This isn’t the first film DeGraff has tackled–he’s mapped out The Goonies and Wet Hot American Summer in the past, and the current show also has Indiana Jones-themed works–but it may be the most complex. “I thought it would be fun to take the characters completely out of a character-driven story and figure out what this ‘real’ space would actually be,” he says.
DeGraff wanted to emphasize the nature of the films’ twisty plots, with characters constantly separating and rejoining. “I knew I wanted bolder, more graphic character lines to energize the areas between planets,” he says, “and I felt that the strength of those movies is derived from collaborative story arcs rather than any single conflict. In a way the trilogy is a series of ‘buddy pics’ that intermingle, separate, and reintegrate.”
Andrew DeGraff & Bennett Slater, January 5-26, Gallery1988, Los Angeles
