Mental Cases by Wilfred Owen
Gallery
In order to capture and embody key images, I have skillfully crafted a skull out of print outs of the poem.
I set it alight to depict the mental strain, scarring, and pain that the soldiers experienced. It’s the sort of scarring that can't be undone…like the burns on the skull.
Poems were used to boost relevance between the depiction and the poem. They also serve to link the lines and imagery in the poem back to the damage in close up shots.
The skull was (for the most part) unperturbed by the fire. This worked to represent the slow development of the psychological harm.
The nearly finished product (above)
The burning was done with methylated spirits and matches, in a controlled area. We took it outside afterwards to finish the burned look and play around with it more.
