Inspired by life

In a short film accompanying the exhibition Inspired Lives: Discovering Life in Imagination, artist Mic Eales explains that suicide deepened his love of life.

“It showed me how precious life is. I have survived suicide, to live,” he says in his narration.

The exhibition, currently on show at the University’s Dax Centre, explores the impact of suicide on individuals and the community from the perspective of artists who have attempted suicide and survived. 

The four artists in the exhibition offer an insight into ‘what it feels like’ to be dealing with suicidal thoughts – a suicidal crisis.

Mr Eales, who is currently completing a PhD at Southern Cross University, explains the obvious – “Suicide is about pain” – but also the ever-growing anguish that is the burden for those facing a suicidal crisis, as well as its disturbingly compelling attraction as a ‘way out’.

Explaining his brother’s suicide, he recounts how he felt almost resentful that his brother had succeeded where he had not: “He did it, he got away”.

But by working through the issues of both his own attempted and his brother’s successful suicides in his deeply complex and multi-layered art, he says “We had both become free. He in death, me in art.”

The piece Mr Eales created in response to his brother’s death strikes at first as quite simple. It is a minimalist piece, a large grey plane suspended from the ceiling. After exploring the interpretation panel beside it, however, the viewer learns that the plane is in fact a composite fabric made from the surface of the futon upon which his brother used to sleep, handmade paper, and fine red cotton thread that is only really visible up close, referencing the colour of life-blood and the tenuous grip which we all hold on life. 

The way the piece is suspended and lit creates a second dimension as shadows on the wall behind it carve out four distinct shades from pale to darker greys to black – a metaphor for the ever-darkening feelings and thoughts that overwhelm a person experiencing a suicidal crisis.

One of the main themes of the exhibition, stated explicitly in the accompanying short film, is to disturb the “malignant silence that surrounds suicide in our society”.

Almost a taboo in society and culture, suicide is nevertheless quite common, and Mr Eales feels silence around both the subject and the experience lacks compassion and empathy.

The exhibition he says, is insider research, and claims an important place for artistic expression in the journey of healing.

Activities surrounding the exhibition have included a forum which focused on the experiences of school communities called “How do we talk about it?: schools, students and suicide”, and a second forum to be held on Thursday 15 November which will look at suicide from historical, psychological and cultural perspectives.

Artist Mic Eales, working collaboratively with writers Jessica Raschke and Baden Offord and artisit Konii C Burns explore the psychological and spiritual crisis of suicide and its damaging after-effects. 

As the exhibition title suggests, creativity has played a vital role in their recovery.

Since 2008 Mr Eales has worked with the exhibition’s co-curator, suicididologist Dr Erminia Colucci from the University of Melbourne’s School of Population Health, running workshops and seminars on how the arts might be used to provide new insight and understanding into the issue of suicide.

www.daxcentre.org