BackPlaces is a web-based anthology that explores intimate and emotional spaces on the internet. It consists of four pages, each embodying an archetype. The sunrise, the nosebleed, the star, and the hand.
These pages trace a thread of online emotions: of shared grief, collective processing through writing, youthful excitement, and finally, of being on or off the internet.
They present stories in the formats in which they were originally told, allowing you to imagine yourself as one of these pages, wearing your own clothing as a costume and reenacting the play of your first kiss.
This project tenderly pays tribute to the rawest emotions found online. It seeks to diversify the conversation by reminding us that the internet is a reflection of the people and feelings that inhabit it. The web is an artifice—a house built by others where we live and communicate together. If we all left, the internet might cease to exist.
However, the internet can be a harsh landscape where sensitive individuals find refuge in backplaces, rooms where they can be more than their physical selves allow. Here, they meet, whisper secrets, share laughter and pain, and grow together until they move on. These stories reflect these moments, drawn from the collective knowledge of people I’ve loved online. Their words have been woven into stories to protect and celebrate them. Some were social media comments, some were friends sharing cake, some were emails, and some were conversations.
