Alice Burns

The work is exploring Urban Myths regarding mental health using the definition of ‘Myth’ by William Bascom. “They are accepted on faith; they are taught to be believed; and they can be cited as authority in answer to ignorance, doubt, or disbelief.”,  based on the construct of the ‘urban myth’, a collection of narratives via a blog and a video installation. Participants are asked, “Do you believe in mental illness” they are free to answer this question in whatever way they wish. Using the aesthetic of the ‘urban myth’ actors not necessarily the authors of the blog posts read a sentence or two from the blog posts to video. The video provides an alternative vehicle for the narratives to be presented to another audience and the ‘myth’ progresses.