'DRUG EMPORIUM'
Drug Emporium is a continuing exploration of the world of pharmaceuticals, extending from packaging and waste to the appearance and structure of medications. Starting work as a pharmacy counter assistant at the age of 16 fuelled the interest that I have had in health and healthcare all my life, and allowed me to train and progress to working within the dispensary.
The project explores photography, installation, film and sculpture and initially originated from my awareness of the amount of single use plastic that is involved in the manufacture and distribution of prescription medication. I was also struck by our society’s dependence on medications, and the amount of prescription drugs that are prescribed when alternative methods such as cognitive behavioural therapy would serve better to provide the patient with coping skills and an increased chance of avoiding symptoms of relapse.
The most ambitious work within Drug Emporium is a macro video artwork that shows tablets and capsules dissolving. The speed of the sequences are altered to bring the pills to life whilst also providing a sense of what happens to them within our bodies when we ingest them.
