Halcyon Days
This month (December 2018), we have an upcoming exhibition in the LACD Los Angeles Center for Digital Art with this “Halcyon Days “photo from our MoodLab Project.
Since the first photo was exhibited in 2016, our effort to campaign for bipolar disorder awareness continues. This photo marked the 8th time that we participated in the art exhibition.
The Moodlab Project kicked off in September 2016, with the core element of our photoshoot featuring community members whose lives are affected by bipolar disorder. As part of 9 elements, this is the foundation of this project, which uses art to create a space for conversation, courage, and community connection as well as bringing people with bipolar disorder out of the darkness.
We are partnering with Pere Ibanez (www.pereinbanez.com), a renound artist from Spain, to invite people into our studio for a photography session, and to learn their individual stories.
2 years have passed and we have taken the time to connect with the community members. We have completed 24 photo shoots and released 5 personal stories of the model in partnership with Berapy. Pere Ibanez released his newest book “Syzygy” in December 2017 with all productions from the Moodlab project, which became a best-selling book on iTunes. Some of the photos have won world awards that we are very proud of. Throughout the years, our photos have made into exhibitions around the world, been featured in magazine and newspaper, and spread the awareness of bipolar disorder.
It is not just a photoshoot, but a process for the participants to be able to step up and advocate for bipolar disorder. These are people at our dinner table, but with a story that you might not know. Each photo is a symbol that no one should be alone. Each photo is a triumph, where we all can have a voice, even if it shakes us.
Here are the personal stories of the models from Moodlab Project, and there will be more to come: ·Partner in this Whole Ordeal ·Safe Space ·Care Less ·Where the Sun and the Moon Meet (One Model One Story | World Mental Health Day) ·Going with My Mind
With this in mind, we invite you to engage with the pictures and hear the voices from each picture. We encourage you to keep an open mind as you might hear different things from these pictures.
Here’s a quick review of the photos we’ve released:
Best of Photography 2017 Official Selection by Photographer's Forum and Serbin Press, USA
Community Engagement
Furthermore, it is important to note that this project is not for us or about us, but for all of the participants, the Beijing community, and the people beyond it. We hope that the courage and the openness of the models, who are your colleagues, friends, or just passers-by, will inspire you as well.
We wish to invite you, the community members, in promotion and community engagement of Moodlab. We encourage you to speak out about mental health in your circles and share the news about our project. This way you will also become a part of the campaign, which will then reach more people and raise the awareness in China and beyond.
If you want to talk to us about being engaged with MoodLab, reach us at: info@candlex.cn
Moodlab Emotional Wellbeing workshop at UCCA, Dec 2016
You Can Share and Inspire
Social Media Follow. Like. Share and re-share once again. From our WeChat account to the photographer Pere Ibañez's Facebook page, there are plenty of ways. The best way to get the latest updates and share the news with your friends is on the Facebook wall, Instagram feed, or WeChat moments. Be our guest! Speak about it online and offline. Do not be afraid of raising mental health awareness everywhere you are, as that is the best way to reduce the taboo and increase the general knowledge!
Fundraising Recently, we have opened an account on Zhongchou to raise funds for the ultimate goal of the Moodlab Project - the Art Book for Bipolar Disorder Education, which will include selected photos, stories of the models, and educational information on bipolar disorder. We would be immensely grateful if you shared the link with your friends to help us get the needed financial resources! At the same time, if you have a WeChat Wallet account, you can directly support us on our platform.
