From personal experiences and looking through my research around mental illness, a common stereotype that pops up is the way people still believe that mental institutes are like the asylums of the victorian era. The monthly mental health magazine has a phrase on it that I drew alot of influence from. "Freedom is often taken for granted and only when it is taken away do we understand its importance." This phrase was really interesting as I thought about the perception of the person involved as well as the stigmatizer. Both are feeling isolated, and both feel as though this situation is claustrophobic , isolated and uncomfortable. The view point is closed in and uncomfortable. The way we look at the image is very much like the way some people would view those with a mental disorder.
I think this series is very successful series. You have created a huge variety of significant indicators and metaphors. I read this as the figure is actually a representation of real self trying to fight to get out. That the walls are the physical walls of our body or mind. The figure represents the "healthy" conscious trying to fight through. I think your ability to relate your work to science, to research, to case studies gives it strength.
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