How Can We See Pain? Seven Powerful Portraits

Many people from our environment might have depressive feelings and suffer from a strong mental pain while no one is aware of that simply because all the pain stays inside.

But what if we could see it?

I invited seven people to participate in the experiment and gave each of them an easily deformable object. Volunteers agreed to experience a little bit of physical pain and express it through the given objects, changing their shape.

Physical pain was given differently – we used elastic bands, a pack of pills with sharp edge or just pinching. However, one guy insisted to make it real and asked to be shot in the leg with an airsoft gun. I'll leave it to you to decide which one he was.

Through the contrast of “healthy” and damaged items these photographs give some food for thought: objects symbolize how mental pain leaves a scar in person’s soul forever even though it cannot be seen. It shows the connection between physical and emotional pain and how they interchange: physical pain affects our emotions as inner pain can harm us physically. But the circle can be stopped without spreading this misery further.

Photos: Titas Kazlauskis and Augustė Smailytė

Extra help: Evelina Butkutė