Output details
34 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
University of Westminster
A View From Inside
The 10 digitally manipulated portrait photographs that make up the project draw upon the principles of 18th-century portrait painting to give form to some of the unique realities encountered by different people during psychotic episodes. The exhibition photographs are accompanied by an artist’s book with contributions from each participant. Whilst the people photographed here all appear entirely ‘normal’, their ability to function within society has, to varying degrees, been affected by the experience of a psychotic ‘disorder’ such as Bipolar Disorder or Schizophrenia. The visual, auditory and other sensory phenomena that occur during a psychotic episode contradict accepted notions of what constitutes 'reality', and yet, for one person, they are absolutely real. These digitally manipulated images and accompanying book came out of a one year-long period of research funded by an AHRC Fellowship (£66,134). During this time, Wright recruited and then worked closely with the 10 people portrayed. She was made an Honorary Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at Kings College, London for the duration of the project.
Please see portfolio for fuller documentation of research dimensions.
‘A View from Inside’ explores the challenge of creating believable pictures revealing some of the chaotic and sometimes incomprehensible experiences that are present for an individual during psychosis. Historically, portraits have been constructed as a celebration of the uniqueness of an individual and his or her accomplishments. Based on the physiognomic belief that a person's appearance mirrors his or her subjectivity or 'inner' identity, a traditional concern of portraiture has been to create an external 'likeness' of subjects. In Wright’s photographs, however, the physical expression of the subject reveals nothing of his or her inner world. It is the highly constructed setting – which in each case incorporates a view through a window and an array of significant objects – that gives some clue to each individual’s private world. By giving form to some of the psychotic experiences of a small group of randomly selected people, the portraits aim to provide a stimulus for questioning consensual understandings of what constitutes reality and also to challenge negative perceptions of those who experience mental illness. Using the medium of digitally-manipulated photography in a way that draws on and subverts the traditions of both painting and photography, Wright’s research produces new ways of ‘realising’ the subjective experiences of the mentally ill. Firstly, from an ethical perspective, participants were consulted throughout the project and played an active role in Wright’s decision-making process. Secondly, the digital intervention in the accomplishment of these images is comparatively seamless. In this respect, the work follows in the tradition of artists such as Jeff Wall and Gregory Crewdson, although its content and intended message are very different. In 2014 Wright will be made an Honorary Fellow at Camden and Islington NHS Mental Health Trust to develop photographic projects with their service users.
