Our installation is titled “The Unfolding Narrative“.
The stories that would be played through the headphones initially before anyone records their thoughts in the booth:
1 – Working adult – Mild bipolar disorder
2- Old Uncle – Anhedonia (Major Depressive disorder)
3- Working Adult – Manic depression (Suicidal)
4- Working Adult – Relocation depression (change of nature in job)
5- Working Adult – Parenting through depression
6- Working Adult – Depression caused by chronic Illnesses/change of environment
7- Fresh Graduate – Financial depression
Our purpose:
- To encourage open conversations on our mental health
- Choose to use the toilet -> where private thoughts are most apparent, bringing them to a public space
Front view:
- A row of 9 toilet bowls placed at the ADM entrance
- A headset will be attached to each toilet bowl where participants can pick up and listen to the recorded stories
- Each toilet bowl will have a different encounter recorded
Back view:
- Participant can move to the back and contribute their own personal stories
- We want to create a safe and comfortable place -> drawing/ writing/ highly encouraged to share their stories verbally
Explaining the layout:
- According to statistics, 1 in 10 Singaporeans suffer from mental health issues
- So we made 9 toilet bowls -> equivalent to 9 listeners lending their listening ear to the one person in the booth.
- Straight line of toilet bowls
Stories shared:
- Most common problems -> depression, alcohol abuse, obsessive-compulsive disorder,
- Other problems -> Schizophrenia and Dementia
Community involvement:
- We want to have an interactive/community sharing component included in our project
- Reason why we encompass different ways of expression -> to have a greater sense of inclusion towards the process of story sharing
What we considered?
- Live streaming of personal stories -> why not? -> might create a sense of fear, a sense of formality in the process of sharing -> therefore, we chose not to do it