Artifacts for dialogue
A series of artifacts created to inspire conversations about important topics related to living with chronic pain. Each piece holds a personal story.
Power Pills
To start a conversation about the over prescription of opioids, I created these pills. Within each pill is a substance that represents a different essential need I have, such as human connection, closeness to nature, sunlight and the need for laughter. Every person has unique needs that must be met to help them heal from sickness. However, when a person is ill, many of these needs are not being met. Is there a way that we can connect people to their power pills before going to opioids?
Masked in Pain
This artifact was created to represent the feeling of being trapped. Many people with chronic pain talk about the feeling of not being heard. In The Body in Pain, Elaine Scarry writes, “Physical pain has no voice, but when it at last finds a voice, it begins to tell a story.” This mask reflects the struggle of communicating pain and the process of opening up. It was made to start a conversation at the beginning of the project
Re-Imagining Pain Communication.
Senses Mask
What if we could see, touch, hold and hear pain? I designed this artifact to explore how much people want their pain to be seen and understood. I learned that designing to improve pain communication is a balance between giving people a voice and allowing them to choose how much they share with others.
