Hidden layers

Once a month I attend the Sheffield Aspergers Parents Action Group meetings. I listen to the experiences of various people and listen to the feedback within the group. I also update them on my progress within my work. To help with my campaign ideas I started to do some rather crude experiments to demonstrate the hidden feelings that the parents and carers had and also the hidden life they lead behind closed doors.

I initially began playing with the idea of hidden layers to represent a hidden story. My first starting point was a blank page. A blank page gives nothing away at a first glance. This is how I interpreted the parents and carers within the support group. The more you listened the more layers of experience and emotion you were presented with.

 

 

 

I then started to consider how when you talk to people you peel back the layers of experience and emotion that they have. I then started experimenting with the term 'peeling' by using masking tape. The visuals show how the phrase 'Everything is great!' can turn into something far more comprehensive.

 

 
I then began to look at the idea that every parent and carer is carrying around a box of concerns that is kept locked away from the world.

 

I'm listening

Here are 5 initial ideas that explore the role of a sibling of someone with Asperger Syndrome (AS). They center on the concept of the sibling being a sound board and support network for their brother or sister and other family members. They also touch on the effects that this responsibility can bring such as worry, not knowing who to turn to and loneliness. These are based on conversations, personal experience and research. Please bear in mind that everyone's experience with AS is completely different.

What is Asperger Syndrome (AS)?

A lot of the initial work on this blog will be focusing on Asperger Syndrome (AS). So, I thought I would give a brief description of the disability for anyone who does not know what AS is.

Please see http://www.autism.org.uk/ for more details or alternatively read the extract below.

This is how the National Autistic Society describes Asperger syndrome:

‘As soon as we meet a person we make judgements about them. From their facial expression, tone of voice and body language we can usually tell whether they are happy, angry or sad and respond accordingly.
People with Asperger syndrome can find it harder to read the signals that most of us take for granted. This means they find it more difficult to communicate and interact with others which can lead to high levels of anxiety and confusion.’
As it is part of the Autism spectrum they have difficulties with:
Social communication - understanding conversation.
Social interaction - picking up social cues.
Social imagination - working out what other people know and are thinking.