I am interested in humans, bodies, movements, directions and how they affect each other. How we move towards each other or away from each other, inside a home or outside. How we relate to each other and to what people say and do. Co-operations between people that occasionally, possibly, do not work; how certain relationships, like certain materials, can have various breaking-points; that materials can be laden with numerous preconceptions, for instance what they should be used for. Beginning from the perspective of a feminist commune, I have explored the concepts of family, belonging, and loneliness. I have interviewed, observed, photographed, and through living in the commune during shorter periods of time, I have taken part in their every-day life. Through this investigation I have become more aware of my view on loneliness and belonging, regarding both myself and others. Can we as humans stand alone, or is interdependence necessary to reach our full potential? Can we experience loneliness in spite of co-existence? And can we feel togetherness in our loneliness? I have created objects in which I hope the observer can recognise themselves, in the emotions I wish to communicate. It may be about shame; shame for not fitting in; not belonging; a nagging sensation that you are not “right”. It may be the dark side which can arise through togetherness; like being situated in an environment where you are surrounded by people but still do not feel you belong; but also the feeling of release that a self-imposed seclusion can give. Through my jewellery I want to show that the way in which something or someone is decorated can raise standards, values and preconceived ideas. / <p>Har tagit bort bilder av upphovsrättsliga skäl</p>

This project aims to challenge preconceptions of mental health and attempts to conceptually dissect the popular phrase “mental health is a luxury”. The dissection is grounded on a theoretical background related to the inefficiencies of the health care system, advocacy movements of health care rights, material culture and luxury consumption, in order to conceptualize design strategies for sociocultural change.The concept challenges the perception of mental health care as luxury through the invitation of other mental health sufferers into a collaborative co-design space that generates information about their subjective lived experiences and needs, through participatory and empathic design methods. Jewelry has been selected as a design medium that combines possibilities of self-expression, involvement in co-crafting, similarities to other devices for self-regulation and preconceptions of status. The socioeconomic issues of the accessibility of mental health care reveals inequalities related to social status, and jewelry with its historical connotation as a social status symbol is used in this project as a critical tool to portray and question the correlation between socioeconomic privilege and mental health care. The collaborative process of co-designing and translating real people’s needs into customized jewelry works as an attempt to redefine jewelry as a manifestation of human needs and to cultivate mental health sufferers’ agency and power towards their own health.