This short film is part of the PICTURE IMPERFECT project which describes vulnerable children and their struggle for mental health and developing identity. The film consists of handwritten thoughts on pandemic and voice recording by the children in the community of York, North Yorkshire.
MAKIKO has worked with The Island, a local charity, that mentors the youth through art activities in York. All the children involved have experienced early life trauma or pre-existing mental challenges. The conceptualisation of this project coincided with the national lockdowns. Her region was particularly hard hit. This in turn has had a profound impact on these children's lives. It also placed restrictions on how she needed to approach her work and the necessity of an innovative solution to comply with regulations. MAKIKO provided the children with disposable cameras to shoot their everyday life. The early part of her photo shooting was carried out remotely during lockdown to document what they were doing and thinking at home.
As a result, it became a transmedia project - MAKIKO was the conduit of her subjects' stories, revealing their lived experience of isolation and shifting identities through her audio, film and still images. She had woven together a timely and historically relevant narrative, acting as a facilitator for the youth who became co-authors in creating their "scenes".
Her project is an example of how artists and subjects can work together. It has potential to invite further dialogue about mental health and identity among the youth as well as acts as a historical record of our times.
