The Gallery

Each piece tells a different part of the story of living with chronic invisible illness. In the physical installation, viewers used iPads with headphones to scan each artwork and unlock hidden AR animations accompanied by audio narrations and ambient soundscapes.The viewers upon interaction also discover hidden animation layers that get triggered with proximity. Below, explore what lies beneath the surface of each piece.

Piece 1: "Have You Tried Yoga?"

The Visible

A woman sits peacefully meditating in her living room. She appears calm, centered, at ease.

The Invisible

When viewed in AR the truth emerges:

1.Hands appears around her, each holding a struggle the woman faces that’s invisible to someone on the outside: an inhaler, pill bottles, the weight of depression, a figure in pain.

Flowers bloom in the vase, symbolizing growth despite everything

2.The sky outside darkens as time passes, showing how meditation becomes just another thing to "fit in"

3.Flowers bloom in the vase, symbolizing growth despite everything

It’s meant to show how, even while attempting to meditate, this woman has so many things on her mind, and to take care of in her life. It’s not easy to just ‘find peace’.

Message

The first piece was made as a response to the comments "Have you tried yoga?", "Yoga and Meditation are your cure." - ones that both I and plenty of other people with chronic conditions have heard over the years. I wanted to illustrate how a chronic illness isn’t just one dimensional with the cure being yoga or meditation. Alongside that I wanted the art to show others just how many things a person with a chronic illness might have to juggle, why they can’t just ‘switch off ’ and ‘meditate’. Despite the theme of the piece, I love yoga, it’s one of my favorite things to do, but over the years it's been incredibly taxing to hear people reduce my complicated health issues to something that could be resolved merely by a form of movement while I struggled to find proper treatment to get through my days. And I know there are plenty of people who feel the same way.

The Making

Hidden Interactive Animation

She's trapped in a cage with pills raining down. Another layer to the representation of how someone with a chronic illness feels trapped, controlled and dependent.

Gallery Documentation

Audio Narration

Having a Chronic Illness

Having a chronic illness, it’s knowing you’ll never get better

It’s never knowing what your body is going to feel like with every passing day

It’s not being able to relate to your friends

It’s missing out on experiences because of your fatigue and pain

It’s like having a full time job on top of a full time job

It’s fighting for basic healthcare

It’s fighting for a diagnosis

And then fighting to live with the new reality that comes with the diagnosis

Music: "A Gallant Gentleman" by We Lost The Sea

Piece 2: "The Weight of Everything"

The Visible

A woman sits at her desk with her laptop and coffee. Working, productive, handling life like anyone else.

The Invisible

When viewed in AR the reality is:

1.Messages flood her phone: doctor's appointment reminders, medication alerts, insurance battles, project deadlines, social invitations she lacks the energy to accept

2. Dark clouds form above her head from the steam of her coffee, representing the mental weight of managing everything.

3.Flowers bloom in the vase, still growing despite the storm.

Message

The second piece was an attempt to show the direct stressors that affect someone with a chronic illness while also trying to let the viewers see the emotional turmoil experienced by the person. What might be a simple project deadline with ample time for one person becomes a project with no time for someone with a chronic condition because of everything else on their plate. Managing treatments, appointments, symptoms, insurance battles, while trying to meet the same milestones as everyone else.

The Making

Gallery Documentation

Audio Narration

I am

I am more than my illness but sometimes my illness feels more than me

I stand and watch as moments and lifetimes pass me by,

feeling stuck as I am forced to redefine what ‘success’ means to me in a world that never

slows down

I remind myself that there’s no right path,

it’s just my own path

All there’s left to do sometimes is remind myself that I’m enough, exactly as I am.

Music: "Sleep" by This Will Destroy You

Piece 3: "Strength & Perseverance"

The Visible

A woman stands in a sari before a window surrounded by lush greenery. She appears elegant and composed.

The Invisible

When viewed in AR the deeper truth appears:

1.A tiger gradually appears beside her, representing her strength and bravery

2.Tropical plants bloom along the walls: the cycle of growth continuing despite adversity

3.The sky transitions from day to night

Message

This piece it is meant to convey strength and self sufficiency. It is meant to show the viewer how one can persevere and grow despite being broken. You can be strong and still be hurting. You can grow and still carry wounds. The tiger represents the bravery it takes to keep going, even when you hate being called 'strong.'

The Making

Hidden Interactive Animation

Behind her is a heart covered in bandaids with butterflies flying around it as you approach: healing is happening, but the wounds are still there.

Gallery Documentation

Audio Narration

To the Ones Who Need to Hear It

To the ones who need to hear it,

Your everyday is hard, but you’re doing it

You don’t like to be told you’re strong,

But you’re brave

It’s okay to wish it were better instead of telling yourself it could’ve been worse

Your grief is heavy

You’re not in charge of your emotions,

It’s okay to be sad, even if that’s what you feel every single day

You’re not worth any less just because your body can’t do more

Music: "Hymn for the Greatest Generation" by Caspian

Piece 4: "Always Recharging, Never Charged"

The Visible

A woman relaxes on her couch with a book. A quiet, peaceful moment at home.

The Invisible

When viewed in AR the deeper truth appears:

1.She's chained to a medicine bottle, showing the dependency and daily reality of medication.

2.A battery symbol appears above her - charging to full, then rapidly depleting, over and over. The exhausting cycle of chronic fatigue

3.A charging cable connects to her body, illustrating how much energy it takes just to function

4.Flowers bloom in the vase representing growth even in stagnance.

5.The sky darkens as the day passes showing how much time goes into just mustering up the energy to function.

Message

Chronic fatigue is not regular tiredness. It's an overwhelming exhaustion that makes even basic tasks incredibly difficult. This piece shows how hard we try to 'show up,' and how quickly our energy depletes. It leads to isolation, not by choice, but by necessity.

The Making

Hidden Interactive Animation

A darker version of herself with a storm cloud raining pills: the emotional toll of the physical struggle.

Gallery Documentation

Audio Narration

Yes, I am chronically ill

No,

I shouldn’t have to listen to you tell me that I don’t look sick

Or that I’m strong

No,

I don’t want to listen to you tell me that you get tired too, it’s not the same

No,

I don’t need to learn to think positively,

You haven’t been in my body or felt my pain

No,

I’m not too young to be sick or tired just because I’m older

No,

My struggle is not your inspiration and never should be

Music: "Halls of the Summer" by Caspian

Piece 5: "What Wasn't Seen"

The Visible

My workspace during thesis. An iPad, some coffee, work in progress. It looks productive, maybe even cozy.

The Invisible

When viewed in AR my reality becomes clear:

1.The iPad shows my thesis illustrations coming to life, me working on them.

2.The phone animations are supposed to shine a light on the frustration of having to swallow so many pills in a day as a young person as well as the inconvenience of managing prescriptions and appointments.

3.The medicines and other health paraphernalia are meant to represent the treatments, and other struggles with health care that have to be dealt

with.

4.Food cycles through (breakfast, lunch, dinner) showing the passage of entire days.

5.The coffee animation is constant, meant to show how there's no time to rest, always something that needs to be done.

6.No hidden layers here—this IS the hidden layer, what no one saw while I was creating this project

Overall, the animations of the piece are supposed to show the viewer that a day in the life of someone with a chronic illness isn’t the same as someone without. And we keep trying to fit in and meet deadlines despite the struggles we face on an everyday basis.

Message

This final piece is different from the others. On receiving encouragement from my advisor, Carla (the best!) , I decided to add a piece that involved a little bit of my journey to tie it all together. It's personal, my actual experience creating this thesis. Most of my work happened from my bed, between hospital visits and new treatments. While people saw my progress, they didn't see the reality of how it was happening. A day in my life is not the same as a day in someone else's, and I'm still trying to meet the same deadlines and expectations.