Kirsten Geekie

Department: Design Curating and Writing
Website: www.kgeekie.com

IN ANTICIPATION

WHAT
A presentation that reveals how the barriers erected to prevent suicides reflect conflicting requirements dictated by mental health, government policy and public opinion.

WHY
Barriers and nets are increasingly installed on high bridges in an effort to prevent suicides. As physical manifestations of the line between public life and private crisis, they are tools used to tackle a problem, while the public demands that they be invisible.

HOW
Kirsten Geekie compiled statistics — dates, materials, heights, fatalities, and so on — about 30 sites and presented it as infographics. Using Google Earth, she created a video that captures the mundane reality of the bridges, an effect enhanced by digital speakers that convey sounds recorded on the bridges.

QUOTE
A barrier is a physical representation of private crisis in the public realm.