Margaret Irene Baczewski
Tucson, Arizona, USA

People with mental illness are widely misunderstood by others. For my senior thesis project at the University of Michigan’s School of Art and Design, I created a series of four wearable objects that served as cathartic aids to different psychological disorders. For every piece, I did extensive research on the disorder and how it affects the life of the person with the disease and those around them. By imagining myself in their shoes, I created wearable objects that could potentially comfort a patient’s major symptoms. The causes of psychological disorders are mainly speculative and are not visible like a germ or a tumor. This invisibility is one of the barriers preventing others from seeing psychological disorders as real diseases. Those who struggle daily with life seem fragile but are actually much stronger than they appear. My hope was to make that inner strength seen and appreciated by others through these bold wearable objects.

Double depression: thoughts of suicide
Margaret Irene Baczewski
Bronze, stethoscope, fur, locks of hair from loved ones, rubber, epoxy resin
Wearable object

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