It’s amazing to think of the power which design provides in order to communicate information and potentially influence change. After looking at different ways health concerns are communicated, I thought it would be most interesting to explore mental health, particularly post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). An interesting form of interdisciplinary design used to communicate this was a sculpture displayed at ‘Sculpture By The Sea’ in 2018, “ Look Inside My Mind”. This sculpture was used as a tool to promote a greater understanding as the audience is able to experience a first hand point of view. “PTSD is a major global challenge and capturing an experience of PTSD through video and the eyes of someone who has the disorder is highly valuable in providing a window for others to better understand the debilitating nature of this condition that often can go undiagnosed,” says Professor Steel.

This non profitable exhibition is a successful way of creating awareness through its ability to reach over half a million people annually. Although this initiative has not resolved the way mental health is portrayed, it has been successful in “Raising public awareness of PTSD..” and will “..go a long way to lifting low mental health literacy and continuing to destigmatise mental health,” he stated. By allowing the audience to look into the viewing stations positioned around the head, they witness a veterans experience of PTSD in the environment by which they are surrounded. I believe that this method is successful in promoting an emotional engagement to be developed which is crucial in encouraging change and awareness. The viewer can become completely absorbed in this experience and gain “a sense of frustration that you don’t see the full picture or make sense of the order of images.”

This design initiative has encouraged me to explore demonstrating the effects of Tobacco in regards to the Central Java campaign in order to encourage a greater understanding of the health impacts on their lives. I would also like to portray methods which may trigger emotional engagement from the audience just as “Look Inside My Mind”, in order to encourage the person to become apart of the tragic experiences and effects of tobacco on the human body. Overall, I aim to encourage the same message through our design initiative just as “Framework Convention on Tobacco Control” (FCTC), in order to encourage the highest standard of health for all individuals.

References

Boadie W. Dunlop, MD O. Rothbaum, B. 2019, ‘Medication-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD’, Volume 30/NO. 3  Issue 1050 -1835, page 1-3, <https://www.ptsd.va.gov/publications/rq_docs/V30N3.pdf>.

Carroll , L. 2018, ‘UNSW exhibit shows Sculpture by the Sea visitors the complexity of PTSD’, UNSW Sydney Medicine, Sydney, viewed 17th of November, < https://med.unsw.edu.au/news/unsw-exhibit-shows-sculpture-sea-visitors-complexity-ptsd>.

UNSW, 2018, Sculpture By The Sea – UNSW making of., Youtube,<https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=142&v=Zgcck5lgWPs>.