Realities of Self

This piece compares and contrasts Kenn’s inner and outer realities as a mentally ill person who experiences panic attacks. No matter which side the piece is approached from, the viewer will be able to see elements from the other side peeking through, symbolizing that these two realities are interconnected. They utilized a silkscreen to print a self portrait on squares of mirror, and then spread them throughout the piece, serving as a way of embedding not only themself, but also the viewer within the experience of piece. In order to create a genuine and immersive experience, they sent out an anonymous survey asking people to tell their genuine thoughts about Kenn in order to represent the outer reality of how people perceive them. The survey was formatted in such a way as to encourage participants to not only submit positive remarks, but also any applicable negative remarks. The intention of this was to show the blurry lines between their inner and outer realities and also to show that the perception of others is not necessarily more positive than one’s own perception of self. To represent their inner self, they triggered a panic attack in a controlled environment and recorded the audio so as to create a genuine representation of how intense mental illness can be at its peaks. Their goal with this piece is to force the viewer to confront the disorientingly terrifying feeling of having a panic attack in hopes of fostering empathy and sparking conversations about living with mental illness.