Narrative essay

SAROOP HUNDAL

How have the artists explored the issue of mental health through image manipulation, especially concentrating on narratives?

Narrative artists, Dawid Planeta, Tsoku Maela and Edward Honaker all display the issue of mental health (depression, anxiety and mood disorders) through the use of image manipulation in their narrative work. In this essay, I will compare the artists backgrounds, gender, race and theme ideas in order to evaluate the range of approaches taken to explore the issue of mental health.

I will explain how they have used different techniques of image manipulation such as changing the scale and proportion, editing objects into images and editing people. The main factor linking the artists together is the fact that they are all self-portrait artists who primarily document their own depression, including various issues that come with it and other mental health problems.

Planeta’s work focuses on the fear that comes with depression, he began creating digital work in order to record his thoughts. Malea also shows anxiety in his work as well as the stigma attached to mental illness within African families. Whereas, Honaker presents the issues of mood disorders alongside depression among males. The artists relate to the question given that they present these issues through sets of surreal pieces where they have created scenes that could not possibly happen in reality, which explore the emotions and effects of mental illnesses through the art of photo manipulation.

Planeta is a conceptual artist from Poland who uses photoshop and illustrator to create his works. He was depressed and felt like nothing seemed to have a purpose and that nothing was exciting, therefore, began looking for something to distract him from negative thoughts so he turned towards art since he claimed that his pictures capture ‘what is going on in my head and how I feel deep inside, so the pictures helped me in understanding’. His work relates to the question since he focuses on mental health, specifically depression stating that the things he is trying to ‘depict are dark, mysterious and frightening, but if you look closely, you will find excitement, passion and joy’. This is evident in his pieces called ‘Mini People’ which is a series of digital paintings where small humans wander in forests and come across large animals. His series uses photo manipulation in order to depict the fear as well as excitement that may come with having depression. The animals have been considerably increased in size making the piece ‘mysterious and frightening’.

The size of the people in his work have been shrunk in size showing that people who suffer from depression feel small. The disproportion of the size of the animals compared to the people illustrates the fear that comes with depression and the artist and through this he has successfully explored narrative/story telling as he has shown how small depression can make someone feel. Furthermore, his work contains elements of light through the use of the moon, this is showing the ‘excitement, passion and joy’ that can be found in the darkness that is depression, representing hope. The artist has also added fog to the settings of his work, to add to the fear factor of depression as people cannot usually see past fog creating an element of fear as one does not know what is lurking behind it.

SAROOP HUNDAL

Examples of the editing of fog into Planeta’s work There is an obvious constant visual theme in his of black and white in all of his pieces which further depicts the emotions of depression. This theme can be seen in his images called ‘reality’, ‘someplace else’ and my own enemy’ which all feature grey tones and a grainy texture, depicting what the world may look like to a person who is facing depression – very gloomy and unexciting. I have analysed a piece of Planeta’s called ‘reality’ in order to gain a better understanding of his use of photo manipulation to explore the issue of mental health.

The fog in the background seems to be photo shopped in - Planeta may have included this particular type of weather as it is able to hide what is in the background, it creates an eerie atmosphere as well as evoking a sense of 'the fear of the unknown'. The artwork represents a real-life issue but through the use of image manipulation to present a metaphor, makes the image different from real life and unrealistic. It is made through the photo manipulation of different elements that have contributed to make the image, for example, the size of the eagle has been significantly increased and the size of the figure has been decreased, suggesting that the artist has used ‘Reality’

SAROOP HUNDAL

these different proportions to express the fear that comes with depression (represented by the eagle) how small and lonely one can feel when dealing with this mental illness (represented by the small figure who is alone). This is evident in the 3 images I am going to analyse.

When interpreting this image, I got the impression that bird noises, rustling trees and wind can be heard if the image could make noises - all these sounds highlight how empty the setting is. I developed this particular impression through image manipulation given that the scene is set in a desolate place in the mountains and the miniature size of the person compared to the eagle gives a sense of emptiness as the eagle dominates the vacant setting. It further emphasises that the eagle and the figure are alone together representing that the person displayed in the image is facing his fears of depression alone.

Planeta has explored the issue of mental health effectively through this particular image as the scale and proportion of the animal compared the person, as the animal represents the thing the person fears – depression. There is also no sign of other people in his images, it is always the person being alone with the animal implying that those who suffer from depression feel as if they are facing it alone. Furthermore, the person has been made into a silhouette thus, it is impossible to describe who they may be. The artist may have purposely done this in order to explore depression through manipulation of the person since by not being able to see who it is, illustrates that regardless of age, gender or ethnicity that anyone can suffer from a mental illness. This is also evident in many of his other piece such as ‘someplace else’ and ‘my own enemy’ where it is difficult to depict information about the figures due to the fact they have been edited into silhouettes and are also masked by fog. The images below and ‘reality’ all have elements of light in them which is contrasted by the grey tones; the bright eyes of the animals and statue in ‘someplace else’ illuminate the image. This light source may have been incorporated into the image since Planeta creates pieces where’ if you look closely, you will find excitement, passion and joy’, this excitement, passion and joy is represented through the use of light, as light often has connotations of hope and represents ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’.

‘Someplace else’

‘My own enemy’

SAROOP HUNDAL

Maela is from South Africa and creates conceptual self-portraiture. His work relates to the question since he addresses the underlying issues that he feels that does not get enough attention, specifically mental illness in the Black community - he photographs himself and manipulates the images to show depression hoping to ‘destigmatise mental illness’. Maela has had a lifelong experience with depression and anxiety and uses his art to express himself in a culture where mental illness if often a taboo topic. Creating a series of 22 pieces called ‘Abstract Peace’s’ that displays the struggles people with mental illness face daily and hopes that by posting his work online that he can help address the stigma attached to it within Black communities. Malea relates to the question given that he subtly manipulates his work using photoshop, to show anxiety and depression. He expresses the stigma attached to mental illness which is evident in one of the images I have analysed where his head is shown exploding; showing the effects of his family’s attitude towards mental health issues and how those attitudes have negatively impacted him.

Maela shows the pain but also beauty behind mental illness. There are several themes through his work; this series consists of self-portraits as he is narrating his own depression where all of the works present how he deals with his mental illness silently. This is evident in some of his images given that the manipulation of them are subtle such as in a piece titled ‘a nest for birds’ where doves appear to be flying out of his head, representing lost thought. He uses birds as symbolism in his some of his work as he believes that ‘it’s a really powerful’ and analysing 2 images of his that are related to each other assisted in me in understanding why he chose to use certain manipulation techniques to explore mental illnesses when creating his work.

‘A nest for birds’ The image above on the left is a self portrait which he has manipulated it by blurring out his eyes as well as giving the illusion that birds are coming out of his head. The birds may be representing that his mind is all over the place and he is unable to think clearly – the birds may be representing lost thought. Birds have connotations of freedom as they are able to fly wherever they please,

SAROOP HUNDAL

thus, the birds flying from his head can be suggesting that Maela has no freedom from his depressive and anxious thoughts. This use of birds to personify Malea’s depressive and lost thoughts is also illustrated in his piece titled, ‘a nest for birds’ which shows birds above his body. This manipulation of the image to give the illusion that the birds are part of the scene, this successfully explores the issue of mental health since the birds are personified, which brings Malea’s thoughts to life in order to communicate with the viewer.

Making connections between Maela's images, this piece (called ‘seriti’) is located in the same setting as the image I was analysing previously, therefore, it could be assumed that this is portraying what has happened after the other image. ‘Serit’ shows that he has given up or the depression has taken over, becoming too much too handle – this is represented by the explosion which erupted from his head.

The fact that his head is exploding suggests that his thoughts had gotten too much. The photo manipulation of the exploded head may also be representing the impact of his family’s lack of understanding for his mental health as well as the lack of help since he has expressed that ‘mental illness in Black communities is often misunderstood, misdiagnosed or complexly ignored’ which has led to this specific negative impact which has been shown by an exploding head.

Both Planeta and Maela manipulate their images so that they become greyscale and they have done this in order to explore the issue of mental health. This is evident given that grey tones are frequently linked with negative feelings or events, it almost helps set the mood of the image before the viewer has the chance to analyse it properly. Additionally, the colour grey is an emotionless and moody colour that is often associated with depression. Both artists also manipulate their images to the point where they become surreal in order to metaphorically present their mental health issues. For example, in Planeta’s piece titled ‘deep forest’ a fish has been significantly increased in scale and Planeta has given the illusion that it is swimming through the forest, when in reality this would never occur. Planeta manipulates components of the piece in order to create a visual metaphor that represents the fear that comes with depression. In Planeta’s work it easy to notice the photo manipulation since he has used a grainy texture that covers the whole image as well as the obvious disproportion of the animals or ruins compared to the people which can instantly catch a viewer’s eye. Dissimilar, to Maela whose manipulation is often subtle, for example in his works that features birds (‘a nest for birds’) has small, delicate birds edited into the image whilst the rest remains unedited.

SAROOP HUNDAL

‘Deep forest’ Moving on, Honaker is photographer from California who documents his own mental health and the stigma attached to male depression through selfportraits, like Malea. He links to the question as he addresses the topic of his own mental health through image manipulation (mainly of his face). Similarly, to the other two artists he uses black and white overlay in his pieces in order to illustrate his experience with depression and mood disorders. Focusing on male depression, Honaker turned to photography and image manipulation to convey his thoughts. He has created a surreal series of self-portraits that are full of symbolism. The most obvious visual theme in Honkers work is his use of grey tones which is consistent throughout the whole series. In majority of his pieces he has manipulated his face to present that he is the one suffering from mental health issues. His face has been edited to the point where the viewer is unable to identify the man in the image suggesting that Honaker has done this so that the viewer can make their own interpretations of the artwork and on how the man in the image is feeling as his facial expressions cannot be seen. It also shows that any man no matter their status, ethnicity or background can suffer from depression, like Honaker does. Honaker states that “mental health disorders are such a taboo topic. If you ever bring it up in conversation, people awkwardly get silent, or try to tell you why it’s not a real problem. When I was in the worst parts of depression, the most helpful thing anyone could have done was to just listen to me – not judging, not trying to find a solution, just listen” – this evidently relates to the question as Honaker explores that depression is seen as a taboo topic especially amongst males so therefore he manipulates the male in each image so that the audience can identify who in the image is suffering from a mental illness. The image I have analysed shows this very clearly as Honaker’s face is scratched out indicating that he is the person that the piece if focused on, while the others in the image are continuing on with their lives without considering Honaker’s mental state, which they may not be aware of.

SAROOP HUNDAL

The image is mono scenic as it is only portraying one scene which is evident since the people are posing for a picture.

Given that Honaker is a self-portrait artist it can be implied that the man in the middle of the image is him since his face has been manipulated. The editing of his face restricts the viewer from seeing how he is feeling, nevertheless, because of this use of image manipulation it is not wrong to say that he would not be smiling like the rest of the people in the image due to his battle with depression. In my opinion, the image is showing a man who suffers from mental illness but due to the stigma attached to male depression, as Honaker has previously mentioned that he has to try and carry on with life (the family picture that is being taken in the scene is representing that he must carry on with 'normal family life' as a majority of people do not shine a light on male depression as he has mentioned the taboo nature around male depression and that if it is bought up in conversation that ‘people awkwardly get silent or try to tell you why it’s not a real problem’. His face may have been covered to show that he is not feeling the same way as the others in the image or the white patch could be symbolising that he is missing from the picture, emotionally as the artist has stated that he finds it ‘hard to feel any kind of emotion when you're depressed’ – that’s why his face is scratched out to not show his facial expression or emotions. This is further highlighted in the images below where Honaker has used the liquify effect, transforming his face into an unrecognisable state. Additionally, I would describe these images along with the one I have analysed as mundane due to the black and white tones which represent negative emotions.

SAROOP HUNDAL

Planeta’s, Malea’s and Honaker’s use of image manipulation to explore the issue of mental health inspired me when creating my own narrative piece and aided me in the development of my ideas. Planeta’s obvious use of manipulation helped me develop ideas as I wanted to create a piece that showed the impact or feelings of depression on the exterior of a person, thus I began experimenting with glass shattering effects. My initial outcome is below.

I included silhouettes in the windows of the building (inspired by Planeta) so that it would be difficult to determine who the people are and what they may be feeling as it is often difficult to depict someones emotions who is suffering from a mental illness.

Taking inspiration of Maela’s work, specifically ‘a nest for birds’ I created a subtler version of my initial design using the same concept of shattering elements but instead I decided the shatter the person rather than windows. In ‘a nest for birds’ Maela did not change the image itself but just added to it by photoshopping in doves, making them appear as if they were emerging from his head – he did this to represent lost thought. Inspired by this, I also used symbolism through the use of image manipulation in my final design by shattering the girl in the image to show how depression can shatter a person emotionally.

Moreover, the work of Honaker aided me making the image of the girl I took appear to be disassociated with the audience, like the artist did in his work by either blurring or scratching out his face to the point where it was unrecognisable. I wanted to create a subtler version of his so only manipulated the eyes to make them appear black, which hid some of the girls’ emotions. I did this so that the viewer would not know how the person is feeling and thus can create their own story through the narrative piece. I used this element of image manipulation to symbolise that one does not know how a person suffering from depression feels since their feelings are not displayed externally.

The surreal nature of all of the artist work influenced me to create a surreal

SAROOP HUNDAL

piece too as though the extensive use of image manipulation I was able to communicate my ideas, making the image easy for the viewer to understand whilst being detailed at the same time.

My final narrative outcome To conclude, the use of image manipulation by the 3 artists allow them to successfully explore the issue of mental health given that they are able to addresses the emotions of depression and anxiety and how this impacts a person. This is evident in Planeta’s work through the obvious manipulation of the disproportion of the people compared to the animals or ruins provide a factor of fear in his work. The contrast of these disproportions make it easier for the audience to understand the fear that comes with depression, which enhances the story telling in his work since the viewer will be able to create a scene in their minds. The feeling of fear is reinforced due Planeta editing he image to make it greyscale. Maela and Honaker have also used the theme of black and white in some of their works in order to communicate with the audience since black and white images are often associated with sadness and other negative emotions. All the artists have edited the faces of people in numerous of their images to different extents using the liquify tool or transforming them into a silhouette in order to strip away their identity to illustrate the fact that anyone can suffer with mental illness regardless of their identify.

Planeta

Maela

Honaker

SAROOP HUNDAL

It is evident that the artists personal problems and mental health heavily impact their work as that’s the main subject of all of their pieces, however they all explore other issues relating to mental health, going off on different tangents which lead to their different styles of photo manipulation creating differences between their works. Planeta has manipulated photographs to depict the fear that comes with depression, Maela explores the stigma of mental health the black community holds, and Honaker presents the stigma attached to male depression. This is evident in Planeta’s scale of the people to the animals in his works, the blurring of faces in Maela’s work and the various ways Honaker has stripped the features of his face in his self-portraits. Conclusively, in my opinion the artists have explored the issue of mental health successfully due to the fact their use of image manipulation if able to evoke a response from the viewer – (Planeta’s’ evoking fear as well as hope (through the use of light), Maela’s and Honaker’s evoking sadness due to the black and white tones) as well as making it easier for them to visually communicate their ideas through story telling in their narrative pieces.

SAROOP HUNDAL

Bibliography Brooks, K (2016) Remarkable Photos Document One Man’s Journey with Mental Illness. Available at: [https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/tsokumaela-mental-illness-photos_us_57a0b78be4b0e2e15eb7377c] Accessed on 16/03/18 Between 10 and 5 (2016) Using photography to destigmatise mental illness in black communities. Available at: [http://10and5.com/2016/04/12/usingphotography-to-destigmatise-mental-illness-in-black-communities/] Accessed on 16/03/18

Jungbauer, J (2015) Photographer Edward Honaker Documents His Own Depression. Available at: [https://www.ignant.com/2015/09/24/photographer-edward-honakerdocuments-his-own-depression/] Accessed on 20/02/18

Tempesta, E (2015) Photographer suffering from depression captures his mental illness in haunting series of self-portraits to raise awareness for the disorder. Available at: [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article3240571/Photographer-suffering-depression-captures-mental-illness-hauntingseries-self-portraits-raise-awareness-disorder.html] Accessed on 21/03/18 Wallwork, E (2017) ‘Mini People In The Jungle’ Illustrations Show How Small You Can Feel In the Face Of Depression. Available at: [https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/depression-anxiety-illustrationsdawid-planeta_uk_59071d5ae4b05c397680948d] Accessed on 21/03/18 McMillian, K (2016) An Artist Photographs His Depression To Destigmatize Mental Illness. Available at: [https://hyperallergic.com/308318/an-artistphotographs-his-depression-to-destigmatize-mental-illness/ Accessed on 25/03/18 Sierzputowski, K (2018) Explore Dawid Planeta’s Mystical World od Bright-Eyed Animal Guides. Available at: [http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2018/05/dawidplanetas-bright-eyed-animal-guides/] Accessed on 25/03/18 Planeta, D (2017) Mini People – mysterious art by Dawid Planeta. Available at: [https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mini-people-mysterious-art-by-dawidplaneta - /] Accessed on 30/03/18