UC San Diego

This thesis paper explains the work in the exhibition titled Accidental Girl Dirty World as well as the research and process behind it. The exhibition is an immersive installation of drawings, sound, and writing that work together to tell the story of a fictional teen girl’s experiences in an underworld of life that has mutated to deal with human waste. This paper discusses in detail the art practice of its author, Grace Mae Huddleston, specifically focusing on her large scale drawings, fledgling creative writing practice, and installation concepts. This paper dives into topics including science fiction, fantasy, and word-picture codes and elaborates on how key artists and scholars in those fields influence the artworks in Accidental Girl Dirty World. In the conclusion Huddleston explores potential paths for future development of her protagonist character and the imagined world she inhabits.