Bri Lee

In this series, I explored the feelings and experiences of derealization and depersonalization in everyday life. My confrontation with DRDP leaves me feeling horrible, disoriented, and in a bad state. Derealization/Depersonalization is defined by the APA (American Psychiatric Association) as “experiences of unreality or detachment from one’s mind, self or body.” and “experiences of unreality or detachment from one’s surroundings.” I wanted to understand this disorder through visual art and shared experiences.

I’ve always enjoyed the visual perfection of realism- whether it’s warped or anatomically correct- so I associated that with DRDP. Visually, things don’t always seem right- and it is challenging to overcome while it’s happening. I’ve struggled to understand my place in reality, so in this series, I wanted to portray that outsider feeling. I experimented with different materials, found objects, and distortion to demonstrate the disconnect from reality. Such as the piece Look Both Ways, the people around me are blurred, and the environment is odd. These are common visual experiences I’ve observed during bad episodes.