Iselin Skuseth Flo

I am a Norwegian-born, London-based visual communicator. I have always appreciated art, and utilising my creative abilities has always been a passion of mine. In my early teenage years, I lived in California with my family for two years. During this time, my interest for art and design grew exponentially. I highly valued the experiences, obtaining enriching knowledge and personal growth, in addition to being surrounded by a diverse international community. Subsequently, I decided to study abroad in the UK for my higher education.

I obtained a Bachelor’s Degree with Honours in Graphic Design from University of Brighton (2022), and currently studying a Master’s Degree in Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art (2022-2023).

I am intrigued about how graphic design can assist people through everyday struggles. I keep asking myself: how can my creative work promote other people’s mental wellbeing? How can it help myself?

My current work explores how creative methodologies can improve our mental health. On a gloomy day in February 2023, I glanced at my Polaroid camera. I felt the urge to capture my state of mind. As I did, I realised how much power non-verbal communication is capable of; sometimes the way we feel is challenging to express with words.

I initiated this project using an auto-ethnographic approach, supported by broader contextual research. In particular I discovered the use of photography in therapy, and how it is used as a tool to promote mental wellbeing, marking the beginning of months of research and self-discovery. I intend for my practice to engage in the vulnerable, honest, and deep – qualities I find important in creativity and expression.

The aim of my work is to highlight how important photography is and how it can have a positive impact on people’s lives. As I am not a trained professional within the field of phototherapy, I have utilised my own creative abilities to communicate the positive impact that photography can have on our mental health.

“A New Perspective: The Mental Benefits of Photography” is a 92-page publication, through which I explore how photography can be used as a therapeutic tool, the impacts and pros/cons of photography in our increasingly digital society, a questionnaire and participant responses to a workshop I hosted for RCA students, including responses from a professional photographer, Dan Rubin, about the importance of photography.

A few pages/spreads shown: - Cover pages - Intro page (1) - Table of contents (2-3) - Introduction (4-5) - Definitions (8-9) - Full page spread (26-27) - Spread 36-37 - Spread 42-43 - Spread 48-49 - Questionnaire responses (56-57) - Questionnaire responses (66-67) - Dan Rubin's response (70-71) - Workshop description (80-81) - Bibliography (90-91) - Outro page (92)

Launch Project

A quick look of the entire publication. Duration of video: 2 minutes, 40 seconds.

Front cover

Spread 26-27

Spread 6-7. I have explored a more authentic visual language by digitally drawing over the photographs.

Spread 18-19

Size:

Publication: 176 x 250 mm. Video 1: 22sec. Video 2: 2min 40sec

Alongside the publication, its visual content has been extracted and transformed into an installation to showcase its varied dimensions, and offering the audience to have a closer look at the material.

Example of visual content/set up for the installation. Dimensions: Polaroid photos: 85 x 72 mm. Photographs: 203 x 253 mm, 152 x 203 mm, 127 x 178 mm. Poster: 1200 x 600 mm.

Medium:

Photographs and poster

Size:

Varied Dimensions

Iselin Skuseth Flo

Size:

Medium:

Size:

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Royal College of Art