Spanning the last fifteen years, Jeffrey Beebe has created the world of
Refractoria, a comprehensive imagino-ordinary world that is equal parts
autobiography and pure fantasy, along with maps of actual yet altered cities
(Chicago, Indianapolis, NYC), and the visual ephemera (flags & heraldry,
constellation charts, genealogical trees), that accompany these various
locations. The initial inspiration for the many maps is his interpretation
of the mnemonic device referred to as a Memory Palace. This technique allows
one to memorize an extraordinary amount of information. The text in the
hand-drawn maps comes from multiple sources: emails that were written to him
or by him, overheard conversations, books he's read, song lyrics, poems,
etc, all of which was consumed/experienced while living in the city in
question. Basically autobiographical information. Inspired by epic fiction
and fantasy, Beebe has been writing stories, creating myths, and drawing
maps since he was a child.