Case: Seminar, Personal Fascination
Goal: Creating more awareness for people with psoriasis.
Year: 2021
Scope
When I was 14, I went to a pool for the first time since I developed psoriasis. I remember being stared at, and people leaving the pool while looking at me or commenting to themselves. 2 years after that I got rejected for a job, because of my skin. People have a lot of misconceptions about psoriasis, they think it's dirty, or wonder if it's contagious. My experiences are shared by others living with psoriasis. With this project, I want to create more awareness for us. This work is still a process but I wanted to show it because it means a lot to me, and I feel like this shows who I am as a person, and who I want to be as a designer.
Video - in progress
The Video shows a person who covers their body with clothing. Because of the clothing, they can live a 'normal' life. This is the bubble that someone can create while wearing clothes. In the video, you see that the bubble will continue getting smaller until it's a piece of clothing. After that, you see what the clothing protects the people from. You see why they serve as protection.
This video is a sketch for a concept that I would love to show the world in the future, I want to represent people with psoriasis or any skin condition. And I want them to feel seen and safe without their clothes protecting them.
Research
With this project I wanted to create more awareness for the 125 million people living with psoriasis. People with Psoriasis are more often at risk for depression and anxiety. People react badly to them and that has a huge impact on their lives -World Health Organisation.
I wanted to represent people with a skin condition, 1.2 million people in the Netherlands are affected by this.
My main question was: "How can I get more awareness and recognition for people with a skin condition so that they feel less pressured by society."
My psoriasis reminds me of a pattern.
What does it mean for others?
I had some interviews with people living with Psoriasis and found out that they often cover up to feel better. They don't want negative comments or awkward stairs ruin their day, so they cover up.
Quotes from interviews I held and read about online.
Psoriasis as a pattern to embrace your skin.
Patterns on clothing remind me of psoriasis. I wanted to turn it into something positive.
The journey of someone living with psoriasis.
Kleding kijkt terug. Clothing looks back at you. This one is about the eyes, people staring,
what if we (our clothes) stare back at them?
What does it mean to other people? Clothing is a cocoon, a layer of protection.
Collages - What is clothing?
What do you say about the clothes you wear? they are a reflection of who you are as a person or a reflection of the person that you want to be. Your own museum.
Kleding kijkt terug
My own journey with clothing and how I felt about My psoriasis. With and without Psoriasis.
On good and bad days. On good days, I show my skin because I don't care that much. On bad days I feel like crap and I want to cover up.
Function
Kleding is meer dan een warmhouder voor het lichaam. De kracht van kleding, imago vs identiteit. Iedereen laat met kleding zien wie die is of wilt zijn. Kleding kan: Beschermen, ondersteunen, verleiden, troosten, spreken, zwaailicht, camouflage etc (Narinx & Bem, 2016, pp. 17–21). Can you read people from their clothes, or not?
These mood boards reflect my own vision of my style. When I want to blend in the crowd I use the one on the left. I use the one on the right when I want to be fun, and maybe provocative.
When you take away someone's clothes, can you see what's really behind them?
How do I tell the story behind the clothes?
I made a portrait of myself without them, showing my psoriasis and how I feel about it.
Video Sketch