I Forgot to Take My Meds

mixed media installation 

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On view at the Loft, Croydon Art Store 

11 June- 20 June, 2019

 

What if you’re put into a space that is familiar, yet feels unfamiliar; a surrounding that you’re acquainted with, but you’re dissociated? Ordinary objects and scenery appear extraordinary, and perhaps overwhelming at times; to be at ease yet overstimulated all at once. Details that are often overlooked become magnified and arousing. What would it be like to walk into a room that is a hyperreality? Welcome to the world of mental illness.

 

Mental disorders such as dissociative disorder, anxiety, ADHD and bipolar are all affected drastically by our environment and normal objects are perceived in a co-mingling of what is real and what is fiction. Adding an element of intensity to simplistic objects is my way of creating my personal experiences.

 

The aim of this project is to address the following: Whether a kitschy, excessive environment will disgust or appeal to the viewer. Will these otherwise disregarded details be appreciated more or become unbearable? How will a hyper-atmosphere feel for those who don’t experience it every day?

 

The immersive installation addresses the stigma behind mental illness and how the mind works in beautiful and intense ways. The viewers would have the opportunity to walk through a hyperreality filled with glitter, neon lights and stiff, artificial grass and have their senses overwhelmed and played with. Flora is used as the subject matter because it is subjective to all walks of life and has different meanings to each viewer, but it will be the material used that will create the experience and new atmosphere. 

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