Uncomfortable Communications

  • Dearbhla Ní Fhaoilleacháin Ryan
This project tries to deal with communicating difficult issues in today's world. Nowadays everyone with access to the internet has a voice, an online platform, a cyber-megaphone even, that previous generations didn't have. But now everyone has a voice, no one really does, they get lost in the constant stream of information we are constantly bombarded with. You can tweet about your depression and it's out there, it's public, but no one really notices. I wanted to physically represent this in a way it couldn't be ignored, a statement in an uncomfortable place, that dealt with both the social issues communicated, and the medium of communication itself.
I handmade EL wire signs as a cheap and portable alternative to a neon script sign. It was important to have the statements light up their banal surroundings and look out of place, not quite right, as a cry for help made physical, something that may be passed over in the stream of information on social media made more serious by appearing in an unexpected place.
I have included spreads from the print zine I created to accompany the work that expands on the issues behind the statements.
The placement of the statement in an alley was important to reflect the treatment of women in Ireland regarding reproductive rights and healthcare. This social issue is continually pushed out of sight by our culture of shame and the possibility of a jail sentence for anyone who procures a termination. The alley is a nod to the dangerous 'back-alley' abortions that occur as a result, and also the government policy of pushing these problems out of sight, whether in a literal sense to the UK or just refusing to act.