invalidate,
concept installation; tapestries (above) and objects (below) 2023
this work is currently in development. chronic invalidation in childhood is one of the primary causes of borderline personality disorder. I have been diagnosed with BPD and for me i think chronic invalidation certainly contributed to my illness. This work is part self expression of that trauma, part exploration of the affects of invalidating environments on children. Children are the most susceptible to forms of invalidation and gaslighting as their sense of self has not yet fully formed.
multiple studies investigated and confirmed links between this type of emotional abuse and the formation of borderline personality disorder. the tapestry elements of this work feature various invalidating statements, that i heard/hear often, in a black/white/red colour palette. the second part of this work is intended to be an immersive installation, after walking through a sea of tapestries you come upon a doorway into another room. this room is filled with colour, its almost cartoon like in its essence. the items featured within this living room are plastered with the negative self beliefs i formed as a direct result of chronic invalidation in childhood. viewers are invited to explore, play and exist within this space.
my hope is to validate the experience of those who have been invalidated whilst simultaneously drawing attention to the ways in which we are all guilty of invalidating others, even if our intentions were good albeit misguided. I ask my audience to question if they too have invalidated others and to consider how they might avoid doing so in the future.
