Artist's Name Mark Dave Azores
Size 9:16 smartphone ratio
Medium Smartphone
Year 2021

Was there ever a time when you feel like you are in the middle of the ocean, at the state of nearly drowning, asking for help, however, no one seems to hear? A large body of water surrounds you; you feel the coldness of the breeze; you fear not knowing what could be underneath. The waves of the sea consume you; the current is so strong that it pulls you downward. The sun disappears, suddenly there is darkness surrounding, the water is rising that seems to reach your face. People kept saying that you can pull yourself up, but do they hear you scream when you ask for a hand?

Drowning: A feeling of helplessness prompted by an overwhelming dilemma or situation struck by uncertainty. Problems that we usually face on our own, not because we chose not to seek help, but because people prefer to neglect our feelings, shrug them off, and be deaf. Drowning can be associated with depression; it is a feeling that we have no control over; it tends to appear without us being aware. Depression is a feeling that we usually deal with on our own; we try to remain well, yet we are struggling. A person whose drowning tries to stay above the waves of water to gasp for air, but it still gravitates them below. Living with depression calls for a massive amount of courage to survive. Depression is a worldwide mental health crisis; many people experience it and have been affected.

"DrownDrowningDrowned: I feel suffocated, will you help me?" a series of video and performance art that portrays an act of drowning caused by a myriad of problems. These problems constitute Azores' personal experiences that have affected his mental stability - social media, burnout due to overworking, questions about gender, judgment by others, anxiety, and others. Tiktok was used as the medium in this art to utilize its features, such as video stitching, editing, and the use of open-source sound clips uploaded for use by TikTok creators. This new media art is uploaded through mainstream media with millions of users from the Philippines to cross paths with people who undergo the same experience and hope to start conversations about these pressing issues.