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It’s OKAY Not To Be OKAY : a mindful journey of depression

  • Samuel Li

How can the public understanding of depression and its symptoms be enhanced through artistic interpretation to create a more empathetic society? It’s OKAY Not To Be OKAY is an immersive experience outlining a journey through depression and highlighting the discrimination experienced by people who suffer from it. This is expressed through a series of installations, developed from their stories. It seeks to create a positive intervention in a situation in which depression is the most common mental disorder worldwide. One in six people aged 18+ experience symptoms of it and from associated discrimination, which, at its worst, can lead to suicide. As the audience progresses through the stages of the experience, they come to realise the difficulties and needs of people with depression, while learning how to care for them with empathy, encouragement, sensitivity, patience, emotional intelligence and love. The installations are designed to raise awareness of depression and anxiety among young professionals aged 22-35, who may encounter people with depression in daily life but are wary of approaching them.

Dramatic conflict

The conflict exists between two groups of people: general people couldn’t understand people with depression’s situation because they didn’t experience depression while this illness is hard to be identified without obvious symptoms. This conflict helps in telling the story by clarifying the main characters and flaming the story in an agonistic situation caused by the invisibility and intolerance of the illness which is one of the main reasons resulting in the issue.
Spatial structure
This immersive experience consisted of six stages of depression: denial, isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. This framework would enhance the clarity of people with depression’s mindful journey by breaking it down into parts and explaining it in detail.
Location

A prototype had been tested in Granary Square, Canopy Market, Pancras Square and Goods Way. All four places are open, outdoor and close to workplaces where the target audience work. The prototype was planned to be further tested guerrilla-style, in UCL Hospital, Here East and other workplaces and medical institutions.
Feedback

“It described that the isolated feeling of depression through the distance and time... I couldn’t tell where the people are, although I could see them in front of my view and walking in different directions...”
- An anonymous audience who had suffered from depression


“I think a lot of people is telling people with depression to pull yourself together and you will be alright, and that is the wrong thing to say. We should just listen to them. I think family members often trying to be helpful but they are opposite, or even pushing people with depression further. The best way I think is talking, people share between people about their problems and be willing to hear each other’s difficulties.“
- An anonymous worker from Google

“I can feel how I felt once. I have already known this feeling and when I saw something like this, I understand that it is something about me... I think everyone would have felt this in life. Being depressed is something very easy to happen. Everyone has a different story and life, we can’t say it is easy to get rid of it. It is about everyone and how we can help each other. “
- An anonymous audience who had depression
Director / Project Manager
King Wang Samuel Li

Collaborators
Design Cacin Wong, Joseph Lam Design
Facilitation Kristina Middleton, Judy Hallgarten
Coordination Karen Smith
Advice Faith Hanstater, Pip Patrick, Chris Prendergast
Acting Esther Kitabire
Photography Yaatzil Ceballos
Mentoring Louise Dennison
Videography Yetzi Yin

Instagram page
itisoknottobeokay
https://www.instagram.com/itisoknottobeokay/?hl=en

Website
https://samuelkingwangli.com/It-s-Okay-Not-To-Be-Okay
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