DMP Theme

While talking in our group, there were common themes about vulnerability and healing. Oftentimes, we deliberately wear a mask or build a wall between ourselves and others because we are afraid to be fully seen. However, the moments in which we feel the most valued are the moments in which we feel thoroughly seen and understood. For most of us, life ends up being a collective process that forces us towards vulnerability. This value and vulnerability helps us to feel whole. 

This conversation led us to develop several questions: What are ways that we can build bridges instead of walls? What if I was brave enough to remove my mask? What if I wasn’t so afraid of being vulnerable and being seen? What healing would come from the process of opening up? 

We think that these types of questions create an interesting framework for our final project. We want to explore what vulnerability and healing sounds like. What it looks like. We discussed the idea of using physical masks and masking the voices or stories of our interviewees in a way where we can then “expose” or reveal the stories and take off masks—thus showing how being vulnerable leads to connection and healing. 

Our overall question would be, “How can removing my mask and being vulnerable allow me to be whole and make connections with others?”