FLAMES OF INFLAMMATION

“Flames of Inflammation”, is a conceptual art series, that approaches health outcomes through an anti-oppression lens. I address two matters in health, chronic (long-term) stress and health awareness campaigns. For this series, I ask you, the viewer, to reflect on how your identity is tied to your health outcome. How might you use the privilege society bestows on you, to challenge power structures to create a more equitable and safer society.

Inflammation is a biological process, which is vital to our survival. It is a stress response that helps us recover quickly and not die from a paper cut. However, if we deal with chronic stress, like living on minimum wage, inflammation acts like a high powered flame that activates a stress response, which can lead to depression, addiction, early onset of diabetes, and death at a younger age.

Ribbon campaigns have been an important aspect in healthcare to raise awareness of illnesses. The colour of the ribbon symbolizes a condition to raise awareness off, e.g. red for heart health or pink for breast cancer. This has led to powerful movements that impacted public policy, including allocation of tax dollars for research and treatment, for many conditions, including breast cancer and heart attacks. If a person identifies as White and/or cis-gendered and/or ableist and/or male and comes from an economically stable household, the person has benefited the most from these public policies. They are more likely to gain access to medical treatments in a timely fashion to treat health issues.

If a person lack these identities, they do not gain these built-in privileges offered by society, and their health suffers significantly. People who work multiple jobs may not have time to visit a doctor, located near their home or places of work. This may result in people having limited access to medical treatments, and live with more health challenges and suffer unnecessarily.