140: counting the days

The 140 project records how depression is described, by poets and science, over the average length of an episode of major depression. Counting days is a popular method of looking forward to the end of something, and also to connect the present to the past. Thereare lots of examples: the first 100 days,  the book of days (1869), and a newer version (2004), Around the World in Eighty Days...

According to this article, the average duration of a major depressive episode is 140 days. Other sources suggest it is 6 months. The reality is its hard to pinpoint the exact day an episode begins or ends, and there's lots of variables involved. What is important: that people know there is an end to the darkness.

These are 'sketches' for how I will show the text with the indigo-dyed handkerchiefs.

Engram 1.3

I was thrilled that Engram 1 was included in Excellence in Fibers 2016, organized by Fiber Art Now magazine. In addition to a print catalog, a selection of work was shown at the New Bedford Art Museum in Massachusetts, January 29 to March 19, 2017.

This was particularly special because my mother, whose story is printed on the fabric, grew up in Boston, and had relatives in New Bedford. For this third installation, the pieces appear to float upward toward the window. I wanted to reference the increasing holes in the fabric of mom's memory.

140 days

...is the average length of a major depressive episode. One in three people will experience this at least once in their lifetime, and everyone will come into contact with a close friend or family member who struggles with a mental health condition. May is Mental Health Awareness month, and the first week in October is also dedicated to mental health awareness. Whether by plan or chance, just over 20 weeks separates these two campaigns.

140 indigo-dyed handkerchiefs combined with a variety of texts will illustrate the stigma of depression, and describe the condition in the words of poets and the statistics of science. Self-reflection, daily practices, and writing all play a role in coping with depression, paralleling my own process of creative production.

Indigo, the natural dye that requires continual tending and balancing, is just the process to go deeply into the state of blue that is so silently pervasive. I have several vats that I tend, allowing them to go dormant when away for extended periods. Revival of a vat means dedicating time and patience to slowly bring the heat, alkalinity, and sugars into to just the right balance. Some days, its just not working, and then I let it be.

 I'll be posting weekly on this project, check in to see the progress!