The Thoughts and Views of Those Living with Genetic Diseases
William Mephan
In my artwork, a young girl is sitting on a swing but the swing is suspended in mid-air held, up by two DNA strands. This is a recreation of a piece of Banksy artwork situated in Bristol near Will’s Memorial Building however in the origin the swing is suspended by hearts. Putting my own spin on the Banksy artwork by changing the hearts for DNA strands helps to show how these individuals can often feel like their condition defines who they are and how they often feel as though they have very little to no resilience and no control over their lives. It wasn’t until I finished the piece that I fully realised the metaphor of the young girl was in black and white. Children are often considered much more resilient than adults due to their positive natures and ability to not take life too seriously – the girl is in black and white signifies that some people with these illnesses may think they have no control – but deep down they do – and there is always something that can be done to support their self-help mechanisms. This is represented by the fact that the girl is on the swing, and is a child.
In the picture the facial expression of the young girl is very solemn and negative, almost angry. This is to show that many people are angry about their diagnosis and can often develop resentful feelings. Some may come to intrinsically feel as though their illnesses define them and make them who they are. This of course is not true as there are many components of peoples’ personality and physical appearance that make them who they are, however, it is important to consider that many patients may have low self-esteem and poor mental health. This is represented in the drawing by the fact that the DNA strands are coloured however the girl is in black and white – signifying that people believe that their illnesses is often what people define them by, and that it is a major part of their identity. For some people who embrace their illnesses and work around them this can be a very empowering thing, however for many, it may cloud their view of themselves and the outside world.
It is important to note that my drawing is not a criticism of people who live with these illnesses – it is a form of empathy to show that perhaps we are trying to understand what they’re going through – listening closely to patients on my GP placement was very insightful. I also invite practitioners to consider how their patients are feeling, what societal assumptions they live with on a daily basis, and perhaps change their strategies of treatment to accommodate this. It was very interesting and to undertake this piece of artwork as it not only helped me to explore the perspectives of others but also examine my own in-depth.
I thought this artwork was a really clever way to represent how much somebody’s life can be dependent on things completely out of their control, such a genetic diseases. The swing held by the DNA is the only thing the girl has to keep her up, it’s determining her life in the same way that many genetic diseases (e.g. CF, Down’s Syndrome) determine the way someone will live their life. She can’t control what’s keeping her up in the same way that you can’t control whether or not someone is born with a genetic disease, and the sad reality of these diseases being inexorable and predetermined is shown really well with her angry facial expression, perhaps anger at having no control over it or anger that some people define her by her disease.
I really loved how the simplicity of this artwork was able to convey so much depth about the hardships of having and living with genetic disease. Every aspect of this art seems to represent a greater meaning, mirroring the complexity of coping with genetic disorders and the disparity between the superficial appearance and the hidden depths of someone’s health. The vulnerability of the child in mid-swing shows the uncertainty and fear that invariably accompanies illness, her youth showing the mercilessness and indiscriminate nature of disease and ill-health, and the strands of DNA upholding her entire being alludes to the way her identity may be perceived as being inseparable to her disease. The stark contrast between the black and white figure and the coloured DNA may further emphases how overwhelming the weight of her condition may be on her, commanding attention away from her true self, one of innocence and youth. Her sad, angry, possibly resentful expression shows how suffering from a (genetic) disease becomes a heavy burden both physically and emotionally.
I found this piece of artwork particularly thought-provoking as several metaphors came to mind when looking at the child sitting on a swing. For example, swings can sometimes be a little wobbly, which made me think about how a diagnosis of a genetic disorder could feel unsettling or unpredictable (for example, thoughts regarding whether the individual is going to end up developing symptoms associated with the gene, or not). Swings are also associated with playfulness, and the way the artist has drawn the DNA strands to be holding up the swing, made me think about the way that some individuals could feel that their DNA is playing with their life.
As the artist points out, we associate childhood with not taking life too seriously, which many of us may associate swings with, however I believe the artist has done a great job of juxtaposing this with the child’s rather serious expression. I think the artists choice of using colour for the DNA strands and black and white for the girl, further demonstrates this juxtaposition. This makes the piece of artwork very intriguing and made me want to read the description. In addition to how the artist describes emotions of anger and resentment in the child’s expression, to me it also almost looks as though the child is thinking ‘leave me alone’ or ‘go away’, which made me think about how individuals with these diagnoses may feel isolated.