If you care about the emotional and mental health of society someone somewhere will benefit from knowing that: show them.
Paint a monochrome oil painting of yourself or someone special in your life using Prussian Blue and White oil paint, on a 30 x 30 cm canvas board, to display on the 19th of November, International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day.
This is an open call for people of all ages and levels of art experience to get involved. Your painting can be of any style and expression, as long as it is in some way related to a face (see film for examples).
A budget has been put aside for people with no personal funds but if you can cover the costs yourself please do so more people without funds can take part.
The materials will be given on a trust basis - no need to explain why you've got no funds, just get in touch @ hello@lauramohapi.com. In the subject header write PAINT
For the 'Why' of the project read below and visit https://www.lauramohapi.com/a-quiet-blue-wall
What we'll deliver:
- Digital exhibition and photographic/moving image artwork of portraits
- A suicide awareness/prevention instagram Open Call/social engagement campaign
- Art Materials for those on low to no funds.
Why it's a great idea:
I have invisible disabilities. Part of my disabilities is a brain wired differently to a neurotypical person. I'm unable to read, write or work with numbers like a neurotypical person can (Traits of Written Expression Disorder and Dyslexic Dysgraphia). I also struggle to feel comfortable in society because my differences (Traits of Autism, ADHD and dyslexia) are still treated as if I'm a broken neurotypical person. This is called The Medical Model of Disability.
I believe in The Social Model Of Disability, which means society has a design fault if people with neuro or physical differences are having a harder time in life because of their differences.
Neuro differences are high-risk factors for suicide because society is still learning about them. Poverty can be an indicator of undiagnosed differences, it can lead to thinking about and completing suicide. The more we embrace, celebrate and destigmatize difference the better. Paint a portrait to support it's ok 2B different
Steps to get it done:
- Open Call for monochrome portraits
- Sunderland residents painting monochrome oil painting portraits
- International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day exhibition
Developing creative interests and skills can be very beneficial to undiagnosed or diagnosed neurodiverse individuals who never had serious art education or training in their school years but who struggle with reading, writing and maths. Not all neurodiverse people will find drawing and painting things they learn with greater ease than literacy and numeracy, but a huge amount have been found to. I only started focusing on drawing and painting after I was diagnosed with a different brain type. Finding a subject, Art, that I was suited to changed my self-esteem. I was horrible at drawing and painting at first but then began to learn with more ease than anything else in my life so far. This may be the case for other people. I was so demoralised by neurotypical expectations I could never meet that it made me suicidal. Starting a project that can shine a light on one aspect of what is contributing to suicidal ideation is one step closer to reducing the suicide figures.
