The Secret Miracle
ROLE: Art Director
ADVISOR: Donald Pollack
TOOLS: InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate
In The Secret Miracle by Jorge Luis Borges, Jaromir Hladík, a Jewish writer in Nazi-occupied Prague, faces execution by firing squad. Desperate to finish his play, he prays to God for more time. Miraculously, time freezes for everyone but Hladík, giving him a year to mentally complete his work. Once finished, time resumes, and he is executed. The story serves as a commentary on the nature of time, creativity, and human resilience in the face of fate.
This book is conceptualized from the eyes of a mathematician, Each element reflects the intricate patterns that emerge from simple, calculated folds. Just as Hladík’s journey explores how a miraculous pause in time can lead to the completion of an unfinished masterpiece. The mathematical diagrams depict the precision and logical thinking of Hladik. They create a bridge between abstract mathematical concepts and the tangible elements of the book, echoing the story’s themes of time, creativity, and human resilience in the face of fate.