Paris-based graphic designer Dorian Gourg conflates geographical references and mystical forms to produce mesmerizing images for his series ADAHY. Inspired by trips to New York and South America, he repurposes his own photographs, shot with silver film, into collage: after digitally scanning the images along with grainy paper textures, Gourg then overlays the textures on the image to achieve kaleidoscopic results. In the final stages of the process, he views the work in a convex mirror, flipping his own perspective to identify areas ripe for further embellishment. We asked to him to shed light on his process.

How is New York a muse for you?

I think every detail is inspiring: the difference between warm and cold tones reflected by the red bricks or the glass walls; the heavy architecture of The New Yorker building, for example; the repeated patterns formed by the windows running on huge frontages. Even the map of New York is a graphic work.

What prompted your trip to South America?

I'd quit my job because I felt depressed about it and my life in Paris—I needed a serious break. So I decided to do this trip from Ushuaia to Cayenne [the capital of French Guyana] by bus, car and plane during six months. The most impressive place was Patagonia, with its grey light and this calm spreading over vast spaces. Francis Ford Coppola’s Tetro gave me the urge to go to Argentina.

'Adahy' is a Cherokee word—what is the Native American influence in the project?

It came from the parallel between the visual aspect of New York and the patterns designed by Native Americans. I also thought about Native Americans, and about killing the people who worshiped nature to build an artificial world instead. I’ve chosen the Cherokee name ADAHY for the series because it means “living in the woods,” and it seemed to fit perfectly with the theme.

Which artists do you draw inspiration from?

I feel strongly inspired by Bauhaus architecture and painting—artists such as Kandinsky or Paul Klee—Adi Hollander's photographs, Russian constructivism, Gustave Doré's gravures, and mystical imagery as well as primitive art: Aborigine paintings and African body-paintings.