The Kingdom of Ballard

For the paperback release of Kingdom Come by JG Ballard, we wanted to create a website that would appeal to Ballard fans, as well as achieve something fun surrounding the author and his backlist.

The solution was to create a blog for the Metro-Centre, the shopping mall that becomes the focus of Ballard’s consumerist nightmare in the novel. The site began as a series of postings detailing promotions at the centre and alluded to the shooting that kick-starts the plot of the novel. As time moved on it becomes rapidly clear that fascistic elements have taken control of the centre and the Noir Advertising project is initiated.

As well as recreating events in the novel, the site also links to Ballard’s own backlist. Titles can be found referred to and highlighted often linking to their Amazon page. There are also more interesting ‘easter eggs’ to find, such as linking to a televised Ballard short story from the BBC’s sixties sci-fi anthology show ‘Out of the Unknown’.

There was also the purpose of linking to fans, we feature the three main online Ballard sites alongside our blog, rooting events firmly in the Ballardopshere, and trying to make the fans feel included. Reading their reactions was enlightening to say the least. It is interesting that fandom will have an opinion of everything you do – from the timing of posts, to the use of characters, the new jacket covers and my personal favourite, being called ‘numbnuts’ by a fan accusing me of putting the site together without having read the book. I had read it, and I hope now at least the Metro-Centre’s plan is becoming clear(er).

In addition to this the ad campaign we created is now getting blogged on and discussed, drawing direct comparisons between the book’s campaign and our take on it.

Away from the fan commentary, the creation of an Alternate Reality site has been a great creative opportunity. Taking elements and building blocks from a novel and being able to shape a world around them that is believable, is both challenging and fun. As the blog was being created I received a comment from a poster asking if they could send their cv for a job at the Centre. Were they participating in the game or were they genuinely after a position?

While Ballard seems to have steered clear on commentating on the internet in his novels, I hope we have created our own little modern dystopia: A bland shopping centre of loyalty card deals and consumerist dreams, which hides a disturbed and psychopathological underbelly. Only you can decide what’s real or not.