Chaos in the mind and world

Authors

Asha Griffis, Long Island University

Files

Description

For my quilt square, I focus on mental health and climate change. What I want the viewer to take away from my piece is the impact that climate change and the extreme weather patterns that arise from it have on the mental health of urban populations around the world, particularly in cities. Natural disasters cause loss of personal property, livelihoods, and life. Extreme weather patterns have been known to negatively affect human health by exacerbating mental illnesses. People who survive natural disasters caused by climate change develop anxiety disorders regardless of their history of mental illness.

My piece features a distressed woman painted gray with tears. streaming down her face symbolizing the collective struggle of those who face mental illness. In her hair, there are two painted scenes. The first painted scene that begins at the root of her hair is a forest fire which gradually changes into the next scene which is a city flooding. Both the forest fire and the flood represent the natural disasters caused by climate change. I chose these two natural disasters because in recent years they have become more common. The words “Chaos in the mind and world” are prominently featured on the square. These words reflect what is going on with the rest of the quilt square showing that the discord in the natural world affects the discord of the mind.

Author Photo

Publication Date

Spring 2022

Disciplines

Art and Design | Urban Studies and Planning

Recommended Citation

Griffis, Asha, "Chaos in the mind and world" (2022). LIU Brooklyn Campus-Community Urban Sustainability Program (CUSP) - Urban Sustainability Quilt, 2022. 6.
https://digitalcommons.liu.edu/cusp_usquilt_2022/6