Andrew Dempster – Confession of Pain

Artist: Andrew Dempster

Title of Piece: Confession of Pain

About the Piece: My Art investigation has been into Digital Photographics as a Method of Confessing Unseen Pain
                                                       
My project is an artistic investigation into a medical, psychological and philosophical question: if ‘self’ is the centre of the individual’s universe – what happens when the individual becomes alienated from how they perceive
themselves and ‘self’ becomes perceived as ‘other’?   This investigation explores visual representation of the experience of hidden pain through imaging ‘self’ and ‘otherness’, and test if digital media is an effective method for creating a ‘confession’ based on Foucault’s ‘technology of the self’ and Turk and Winter’s research into ‘pain survival’. 
 

About the Artist: 1991 Back, neck, wrist injuries: became ACC wage equivalent supported for 7 years. Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome 1993 (central nervous system), Double Carpel Tunnel Decompressions. Spinal Stenosis – cervical and lumber with daily 50mg Amitrip to help sleep through back and neck pain.  2009 Low Valporic Acid levels which requires 1500 Epilim a day to stop daily classic migraines (which caused many problems for the years until cause was found).  2009 Sleep Apnea – CPAP machine (which also caused many sleep deficient problems until machine was used).  10mg Simvastatin to lower cholesterol and prevent heart attack/stroke and 3 other med’s that don’t need mentioned.  I’ve done some of the courses offered at Burwood Hospital pain Management Centre.

Apart from base line medication my greatest allies is exercise, movement and quiet moments (which between school and children is not easy), my greatest enemy is: repetitive work that involves raising shoulders, over-stretching, sitting down too long, not enough exercise, too much exercise, poor posture.
 
I have included 2 self-portrait photograhics from my large amount from the course I am studying part-time by distance, as well as being a full time teacher and a husband – we have four children.