Studio C

Symptoms (2022)

Kaitlyn Maxwell

Medium: Mixed (paper, wire, cotton)

 

Multiple sclerosis (MS) can show itself in many different ways. Early signs can include trouble walking, double vision, numbness, tingling, vision loss, and the list goes on.  Three years ago I got a few early symptoms of MS and late 2021 I was finally diagnosed. 

 

Symptoms is a physical representation of my Symptoms of MS. My major symptoms are vision loss in one eye and numbness/tingling limbs. The first hand has a black and white optical illusion print representing the loss of vision and dizziness caused by it. The second hand has a fluffy texture to mimic the loss of feeling in my hands and fingers. 

 

Each piece has a wire and newspaper base covered with printer paper and finally their respective representation of the MS symptom. I chose to use hands to create a juxtaposition between the loss of vision and sign language, a very vision heavy language. This project was a time for me to explore and accept my new condition and make a scary situation into something beautiful. This piece also acts as a physical journal, a way of remembering how things felt and looked and something I can use for comparison later in life.