Statement of Intent 

A picture paints a thousand stigma.

Mental Illness has affected humanity longer than any of us can remember. From the four humours of Hippocrates almost 2,500 years ago (FRIEDMAN, 2023) to modern theories of chemical imbalances, mental illness, and its causes, have been something humanity has contemplated in depth, while developing little understanding of how to really avoid it, cure it or understand what is is to be a person with a mental health problem.

The use of photography to classify people with mental health problems came to prominence in England in the 1800’s (Staffordshire Asylum Records. 2019) and in other quarters was given the name Physiognomy to give it some scientific credibility, though this has been largely discredited (New Zealand Police. 2023). The idea that you could see mental or personality traits by physical body characteristics, photographing the invisible, helped to establish the link between the photograph and the stigmatisation of people with mental health conditions.

Continuing on this theme Smith showed how significant the role of the media has been in cultivating an environment where stigma and self-stigma have been allowed to flourish (2015). Smith adds that “the media” also have a part to play in reversing this trend. As a photographer and a mental health professional (2015). I feel that this project is perfectly suited to use those same ideas to present the person as a whole and not just as a condition, an illness or a subcategory of a classification table. Rather a whole rounded human in a world which has been led by the nose to pigeon hole them as dangerous, criminal or not to be trusted.

I have encountered two major problems with this project which have dictated the images I currently have, so I have tried to replicate what I will be doing in the “real world”. The issues are 1) Red tape – utilising people from the trust within which I work has proved time consuming and full of risk averse professional attitudes, although this is near resolution and 2) my own health – I have been unwell for almost 2 months and have been unable to attend work, this has resulted in not being able to work with the volunteers and develop images, but I have been able try and replicate some of the ideas I have using my own experience of physical ill health, these I expect to change over the coming months when working with people who experience their conditions differently.

The above notwithstanding, my intent in this project is to show, the human behind the condition, stigma and label. I want to experiment and produce images which resonate on both a corporate level and on a more abstract level which will meet the quid pro quo understanding of working with the trust. This I hope, will help me to deliver a sustainable message across multiple sites in multiple formats as well as allowing me to follow progress of individuals in the future. The agreement is that the corporate images will be displayed within the trust site as a way of reinforcing the “normality” of life within the unit, with other images being put on display as a roaming exhibition around the trust. There is also discussion regarding completing similar projects in new sites as they open.

References 

FRIEDMAN, Joseph H. 2013. ‘The Four Humors (Updated for Neurologists)’. Rhode Island medical journal 106(4), 58–9. Available at: http://rimed.org/rimedicaljournal/2023/05/2023-05-58-commentary-friedman.pdf [accessed 30 August 2023].

New Zealand Police. 2023. Physiognomy, Photography and the criminal look. [online]. Available at: https://www.police.govt.nz/about-us/history/museum/exhibitions/suspicious-looking-19th-century-mug-shots/physiognomy-photography-criminal-look [accessed 30 August 2023].

SMITH, Brian. 2015. ‘Mental Illness Stigma in the Media’. The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research 16, 50-63. [online]. Available at: https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/ur/vol16/iss1/10 [accessed 30 August 2023]

Staffordshire Asylum Records. 2019. ‘A Case for the Ordinary – Asylum records in an English County, Photography and the Asylum – Part One’. [online]. Available at: https://staffordshireasylumrecords.wordpress.com/2019/11/09/photography-and-the-asylum-part-one/ [accessed 30 August 2023].

Bibliography

HELLER, Tom; Jill REYNOLDS; Roger GOMM; Rosemary MUSTON and Stephen PATTISON. 1996. ‘Mental Health Matters: A Reader’. New York. Palgrave McMillan.