Washington College review: a liberal arts journal 2009

2009·7.6 MB·English

Washington
College
Review
fiiiaon^.Ea^s^
a liDeral arts journal

Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2011 with funding from
LYRASIS members and Sloan Foundation
http://www.archive.org/details/washingtoncolleg17unse

Washington College Rjeview

Washington College Review
A
Liberal Arts Journal
Volume XVII
2009
Chestertown, Maryland
Washington College
300WashingtonAvenue
MD
Chestertown, 21620
2009Washington College.All rights reserved.
.
CoverArt: Side Effects May Include.
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by Corinne Saul
Installation ot photographs and porcelain masks
Side Effects Alay Ifichidc... examines society's obsession with
"quick-fix" medications, specifically antidepressants and their role
in masking the true self with a chemically altered persona. "Side
effects may include..." is a phrase included in every medication
commercial to warn ot the side effects that could potentially be
harmful. Having known people who have been medicated, know
I
the effects it can have on the body and mind, negative and positive.
This project evokes the uneasy feelings associated with these effects.
These feelings range from sadness, anxiety, numbness, and back to
sadness again.
Side Effects May Include... is composed of photographs and
porcelain masks. The photographs are layered self-portraits. Each
image depicts an emotion that is associated with the effects ofanti-
depressants and hung in a line at an intimate level,like one is laying
on a bed. The masks are displayed on the ground below the pho-
tographs. Every mask is a different weight to represent the dosage
and the effects,whether negative orpositive. The viewer is encour-
aged to hold and examine, even try on the masks, understanding
that the lightest mask is frail and unhelpful, the second is just the
right amount, and the third is too hea\y and weighs the mind and
body down.
This installation examines the emotions behind anti-depres-
sants and the mesh of reality and a make-believe reality ofthe mask.
Side Effects May Include... challenges viewers to reexamine their
own lives and the masks they use in day-to-day life.