Inspired by the infectious disease tuberculosis (TB), my project, “The Whispers of the Unseen” narrates the story of the TB bacterium from its own perspective. Set in the Victorian era, where the disease was most prominent, the story takes the form of a series of six letters of the time. Drawing from the symptomatology and appearance of the disease, a character with certain physical and personality traits was developed and from its perspective the letters were composed and narrated the journey of the bacterium from birth to its spread and its eventual defeat. These short letters attempt to challenge traditional storytelling by offering a unique, non-human perspective to narration and using a non-traditional method to learn about a historical illness.
