A panel of experts from the ADC recognised the bachelor’s thesis by design student Lisa Aenstoots. The graduate of the ‘Information and Communication Design’ bachelor’s programme at the Faculty of Communication and Environment impressed the jury with her photographs on the subject of eating disorders.
Kleve/Kamp-Lintfort, 15 June 2015: Lisa Aenstoots, a graduate of the ‘Information and Communication Design’ degree programme, focused her final-year dissertation on the topic of ‘Anorexia Nervosa’, an eating disorder affecting more than 70 million people worldwide. “Through my bachelor’s thesis, I want to draw attention to the significance of mental health conditions and ensure that those affected feel understood by this work. I also want people who have no personal experience of the condition to gain an insight into the feelings and thought processes of those affected,” explains Lisa Aenstoots.
The starting point for the bachelor’s thesis, entitled ‘ANA’, was a collection of quotes from those affected, such as ‘My illness is like a mosaic’ or ‘I wanted to be as light as a feather and disappear without a sound’. “In the quotes, the phenomenon is often personalised and appears highly ambivalent. This is because those affected see this illness not only as an enemy, but often also as a kind of friend, especially at the onset of the condition,” explains Lisa Aenstoots.
Through a series of photographs, the bachelor’s thesis explores the tension between one’s self-image and how one is perceived by others. Using a projector, various layers of images were created, which were then projected onto the protagonist’s body. The feelings of those suffering from anorexia are visible on the body. The inner world is thus brought to the surface through these images. It begins with ‘catching fire’, which symbolises the onset of the illness. The narrative continues with the personification of the illness, through the darkest moments, to a positive conclusion with a leap into a healthy future. “I am inspired by the originality and complexity of this work, which straddles the boundary between art and communication design. Lisa does not reduce the people she is portraying to clichés, but instead opens up a dialogue through the medium of design,” says Christoph Zielke, Professor of Media Design at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, who supervised the project.
Alongside the Red Dot, the ADC Award is the most prestigious accolade in the creative industry across the German-speaking world. These awards are presented as part of the ADC Festival, which is the largest German-language event in the industry.
