Same but Different

The pencil sketch of my print concept on notebook paper.

The brain I carved onto a linoleum block, which was eventually used in my first printed layer.

The metal typeset used for the text on my print. The quotes are from Wallace's Infinite Jest, and an inspirational poster published and released by Culturenik.

The typset arranged on the press bed with approrpriate furniture. 

A picture of the text printed on newsprint to determine correct placement on the final products. 

Vinyl cut EKG lines on a base for the third layer of printing.

The final thirty copies of the print.

Kinsey Lee, Scripps College '20

Interviewed Marshall Weber

For my final project print, I wanted to focus on mental health, and, more specifically on conditions such as depression and anxiety. Essentially, I wanted to emphasize mental conditions historically attributed to one’s own character or fortitude rather than external or biological factors. While understanding of such disorders has increased drastically—scientists now have concrete evidence that chemical imbalance is a contributor to clinical depression—there is still a heavy stigma surrounding many forms of mental health that discourages aid in recovery. In countries like the United States and China, the populous may have a more nuanced view on mental illnesses now than fifty years ago, but both countries deem individuals with mental disorders more negatively, than they had in the past (Angermeyer and Dietrich). According to Jorm et al., currently, boys and adults, in particular, are likely to both endorse treating depression alone and encourage the use of non-prescribed substances in said treatment. Moreover, adults that advocate for solely self-help for depression tend to believe the mental condition correlates with personal weakness (Jorm et al., 2006). Elsewhere, a relatively “new” phenomenon continues to gain traction in Japan’s psychological landscape: hikikomori, or adolescents and young adults experiencing extreme social withdrawal. Bovoroy’s 2008 article suggests hikikomori have roots in a variety of psychological conditions, but Japan perceives the new term as more publicly acceptable, and, in turn, more likely to foster natural reintegration. However, avoidance of pre-established psychological conditions prevents hikikomori from proper treatment. In short, society’s inability to handle the dichotomy of a changeable biological condition decentivizes those with such disorders from seeking proper therapy.

I found inspiration for my subject matter in Maureen Cummins’ artists’ book Anatomy of Insanity, which is constructed to resemble a medical portfolio detailing the causes of the death for various men and women. Each person has a personal record including the date they were received at the medical institution, their age at death, their prior occupation, and their cause of insanity. Thus, Cummins text evokes a sense of methodical objectivity, and, in turn, authority in her piece. However, the sketches of each male or female depict a vastly different story. Cummins interplays the text explaining each individual’s cause of insanity with the body part most related to the claim. For instance, her sketch of a male driven mad with religious extremism includes a small halo around the man’s head. The male section of the portfolio contains a myriad of causes paired with a fair distribution of illustrations surrounding different anatomical regions. In contrast, though the female section also contains an assortment of reasons for insanity, they are all of the same genre—pregnancy, nymphomania, abortion, and so on. Subsequently, all the illustrations are centered around the womb or the vaginal area of the womens’ sketches. Cummins highlights unforseen biases in so-called “objectivity” using the contrast between image and text. Given the complicated relationship between psychological and biological factors in mental illness, I thought a similar parallel of text and image with science and the arts would be beneficial in my own design. However, instead of criticizing just the bodily arguments or just the mental arguments regarding cognitive disorders, I wanted to convey the disadvantages of letting one aspect eclipse the other. With this in mind, the design for my print.

References:

Angermeyer, M. C., and S. Dietrich. “Public Beliefs about and Attitudes towards People with Mental Illness: a Review of Population Studies.” Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, vol. 113, no. 3, 2006, pp. 163–179.

Borovoy, A. Cult Med Psychiatry (2008) 32: 552.

Jorm A.F., Kelly C.M., Wright A., Parslow R.A., Harris M.G., McGorry P.D. (2006)  Journal of Affective Disorders,  96 (1-2) , pp. 59-65.