wood, memory foam, cardboard, Sstyrofoam; 54x16x13”
“My project shows how mental health can be invisible. Since it looks human, she has a name, Evangeline. Evangeline is dressed in a Roger Bacon skirt and sweater, while her face is blank. She is sitting on a black box with negativity written on it. I started with wood-pieces; measuring and screwing them together. Once the armature was constructed, the shoulders looked too large, but I ignored it. I filled the leggings with foam and went to the shoulders; putting the sweater on, I was shocked. I neglected the shoulders, and now it looked wrong. I was embarrassed, the problem I’d ignored had finally come back to bite me. But luckily, a teacher helped me fix it. My goal was to show how mental health can be so intense yet hidden. When people passed Evangeline, they thought she was real, but none acknowledged her lack of face. That sentiment encapsulates what I’m expressing. When someone struggles with mental health, everyone just sees a person, and not an actual human who’s struggling. My goal was to show that anyone could be in her shoes, which is why I put her in average clothes, the person beside you could be hurting too.”
ARTIST BIO: Ashley FAULKNER is a grade 12 student at Roger Bacon High School studying art under art teacher Cindy Foley.