Kehrer Verlag publishes why am i sad by Dana Stirling. She writes of her work as follow.
This project delves into the profound exploration of mental health and depression through the medium of photography, and it holds deep personal significance for me.
It’s estimated that almost 280 million people worldwide live with depression. Among this staggering number, this book unveils the personal narrative of just one of them—me.
As a child of immigrants, I found myself living in a duality that often left me feeling like an outsider in both worlds. Why Am I Sad is a personal exploration through the shadows of melancholy, unfolded in vivid still life photography that celebrates and challenges the notion of beauty and sadness. I extend an invitation to delve into this narrative—a narrative woven with threads of family legacy of mental health, cultural identity, and the relentless pursuit of self-understanding.
In the ongoing evolution of my artistic journey, I find myself engaged in a profound process of self-examination, mental health and sadness – using the camera to explore the essence of who I am and my connection to the art of photography. My roots lie in a small town. Within this space, I grappled with a pervasive sense of loneliness that transcended both the physical boundaries and the emotional confines of my surroundings. Even in the company of others, I felt a profound solitude that echoed within and beyond those walls.
Home, rather than a sanctuary, was a place where the weight of stress, anxiety, and extensive sadness loomed. Family, instead of offering solace, became a source of inner turmoil. Unspoken but deeply felt, my mother’s battle with clinical depression cast a shadow over me. I saw her lose more and more of herself, becoming less and less a person I understood.
In my youth, I perceived her sadness as a natural extension of my own sadness, failing to grasp the impact it would have on my journey toward understanding and confronting my own struggles with depression as I grow older.
Photography emerged as my lifeline during these moments of isolation. Equipped with my camera, I found solace in the quietude of my room, capturing the silent narratives of everyday objects that became vessels for the unspoken language of my inner dialogue.
Photography, in essence, became my personal code, a means of externalizing the words I couldn’t articulate verbally. In the silent dialogue with still life, I discovered a form of communication that transcended the limitations of human interaction. Objects, devoid of judgment, spoke the untold stories, becoming my voice in a world where words often fell short.
Despite physically distancing myself from the room that once encapsulated my struggles, the weight of sadness remains a constant companion. Photography, once a means of escape, has transformed into a burden, shaping both my emotional state and the aesthetic of my images. The absence of photography leaves me despondent, while the act of capturing images reflects the pervasive cloud of sadness that hovers above me.
“Why am I Sad” stands as a pivotal exploration, a journey into the intricate relationship between myself and the art of photography, viewed through the lens of my camera. It is an open-ended question, not posed with the expectation of a definitive answer, but rather as a beacon of hope—an invitation to rediscover comfort within the very medium that has been both a refuge and a challenge.
My work is an exploration of the interplay between personal struggles and the transformative power of artistic expression. Through the lens, I invite viewers to join me in questioning, in reflecting, and in the shared pursuit of finding solace and meaning within the complex tapestry of existence.
Dana Stirling
Dana Stirling : why am i sad
Kehrer Verlag
Design:Kehrer Design (Nicole Gehlen)
Swiss brochure with silk screen and embossed
20 × 24 cm
112 pages
60 color illustrations
English
ISBN 978-3-96900-159-2
https://www.kehrerverlag.com/en/dana-stirling-why-am-i-sad-978-3-96900-159-2?___from_store=de
