Paper short abstract:

Conveying an experience most and foremost means ‘making contact’ and the question we might ask ourselves is: ‘How do we make this contact?’ Through the lens of visual anthropology, we create pathways and possibilities to reflect on how we convey an experience to help increase PPI.

Paper long abstract:

With patient narratives we get a glimpse of what ‘living with’ a certain disability must be like. We learn about idea’s, practices, obstacles and even possibilities the people incorporate and endure in their daily routines. In written stories and sometimes even documented clips from interviews these stories become powerful vehicles to carry certain ideas and messages to healthcare professionals and other people to shine light on the most often unseen and untold aspects of disease and illness. Even so, this would only be a glimpse of the actual experience itself. Through the lens of visual anthropology, we create pathways and possibilities to reflect on how we convey an experience and bring a message across to a wider audience.

In our research project Psychosis in Picture, we ‘ve conducted multiple filmed interviews about the experience of ‘living with’ psychosis. With the incorporation of visual anthropology, the role of film can become more than just a medium to transfer a message. Visual anthropology helps us to better understand the emotions, memories and senses that are rooted in these stories and how we can use them to activate emotional/sensorial responses within our spectators. ‘Making contact’ in this manner becomes one of a literal and figurative fashion. When we watch a film, we not only do that with our eyes but with the whole of our bodies. Reflecting on these experiences can help us to better convey the patient experiences and help us to create a greater patient and public involvement.