This campaign was created as a collective group project for an assignment set for my final exam for 'Studio' class at the end of my first semester at Parsons.
The research project which I conducted for the Bridge 4 project was a group collaboration focused around mental health and the stigma attached to talking about personal mental health struggles (specifically focusing on crying and why it's ok to cry and visibly express your emotion).
We specifically focused on college students as a key audience.
This subject is something our whole group felt passionate about and we felt it would be an interesting topic to explore since it affects almost everyone and would allow us to work well as a collective.
By taking back the act of crying as a sign of power rather than a sign of weakness, TISSUE TRIBUTES creates a positive atmosphere that encourages the healthy release of emotions.
"By sharing these responses we aim to show people they are not alone, that it is okay to struggle and that no one is perfect. We won't give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets support and respect."
The instagram account (@tissuetributes) asks viewers to anonymously submit the story of the last time they cried or share their experiences reflecting upon their mental health.
The account allows people to confess and confide whilst also finding comfort in other people's responses. It provides a platform that aims to break down the walls surrounding mental health and the stigma associated with showing emotion.
When we thought about what we wanted to achieve with this project and with the creation of this collective we very consciously considered if it would be a ‘real’ or ‘fake’ movement.
This project, although created as part of a class assignment, is not theoretical or ‘fake’. We have managed to create a real and effective outlet for people which focuses on mental health and awareness regarding the issue.
We are all really proud of this and feel like it was a nice way to end the semester and this class, especially by subverting the ‘fake’ concept and evoking real change, our project actually provided a real resource for real actual people.
We hope by sharing this project with you it has made you reflect on the topic and has provided you with some sort of reflective takeaway regarding the issue personally on a wider scale.
Created in collaboration with Christian Olarte Cortes & Melanie Genao