Family Px: Exploring the Personalities of a Dissociative (DID) System   Mixed Media Assemblage Framed Boxes  10" x 10"   The concept of Dissociative Identities (formerly called Multiple Personalities) has been embraced by contemporary society. Unfortunately, popular culture has glamorized and sensationalized this “disorder.” United States of Tara attempts to give an authentic demonstration of how DID manifests within a domestic scenario, albeit with quite polarized personality-types. Other TV shows like Law & Order and Criminal Minds exploit the idea of different personalities as a means of advancing unique crime plots or solving implausible story impasses usually where someone with DID is the insane murderer.  Defendants like Casey Anthony try to exploit it to remove themselves from responsibility for their actions.  Popular culture, with their limited idea of what DID is, or is not, along with an imposed time frame to work within (40-42 minutes in an hour-long drama), disallows for the inclusion of the paradigm shift required to understand the intricate, subtle nuances and complexity of DID.   Dissociation is not about crazed serial murderers or individuals plagued by promiscuity and drastic deviations in style, voice, and dress. It is about the normal human condition coping with life despite facing extreme childhood trauma.  As children, we try on the different types of personalities we see around us.  Sometimes we mimic others in our world.  If we are experiencing trauma this can become more profound and necessary and the "trying on" becomes entrenched into our personality makeup.  By the time we reach young adulthood, those who are multiple try to congeal those different parts into what can pass as a coherent exterior.  Where, for the average person, there is usually a singular person with different sides to their personality (i.e., how one behaves in church as opposed to attending a party) in DID there is a plural system of personalities each with their own strengths, life skills, and weaknesses sharing the same life. Together, they navigate the human experience.   After having worked with thousands of individuals with DID over many years, the types of portrayals found in popular culture are the exception not the rule. To counter this, Bernadine is creating a series entitled Family Px wherein she employs the use of image and narrative to reveal typical personalities within DID and how they operate in their internal and external worlds. These six pieces are the first of many, many more to come.   These mixed media assemblage art pieces were exhibited at The Centre for the Study of Gender, Social Inequities, and Mental Health workshop entitled Critical Inquiries in Mental Health Paradigms and Praxis on May 9th, 2011 in Vancouver, BC.  They will be a solo exhibition at Britannia Art Gallery which opens March 7th at 6:30 pm to 8:30pm.  Bernadine will also present an artist talk on the issue of dissociation and in particular on using mixed media assemblage for narrative purposes.

Verena Verena loves music it is in her bones and makes her body move to the rhythms that filter in through her ears making her brain forget anything she might have seen or experienced that is painful or scary.  Music made it all go away.

Georgia Everyone knew that Georgia was still very small.  She was just learning to walk but already outside folks were making her do things that she didn’t like.  Someone decided that helping her learn to walk might help her get away.  So a bunch of us are helping her everyday.  She is getting pretty good at it.

Laura Learning life through board games of strategy.  If only she could help apply those approaches to dealing with the things that happened in the night time.  Perhaps then she could “win” and make it stop.

Tommy What’s to say?  Tommy was a baby who never got to grow up.  We liked the way he giggled – a baby giggle.  So, we made sure nothing bad ever happened to him so that he wouldn’t forget how to giggle.

Mary Poor Mary.  Born into a family that saw children as commodities able to generate money.  She didn’t know this yet. Her debt was being incurred and, soon, someone would come to collect and that happy face would turn to sadness.

Sarah Sarah’s favourite place in the whole world was the backyard with her bubbles.  So long as she focussed on making them and then watching them float up higher and higher into the sky, the other stuff going on around her could be ignored.

Maxine Maxine is about 20 years old.  She hovers between being a woman and being a man.  She sits between Sherry and Bruce and is mostly not sure if she is a woman or man.  She struggles with gender identity issues.  Although she was “born” a woman she feels like a man and many times finds herself very attracted to female friends of hers.  Helps with work, graduated with Doreen from university.  She smokes, plays poker and drinks beer.

Bertha Bertha: no one knows how old she is.  Could be older than time itself, they think when she is not around.  If you wanna know something about what is going on inside, all you gotta do is ask Bertha.  Just don’t get on her bad side.  She knows everyone – well at least everyone we know, she knows.

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