Disclaimer
The images and sounds contained in this project are an artistic representation of real peoples’ experiences that lie somewhere on the spectrum of eating disorders and disordered eating. If you think these might be triggering for you, please do not proceed.
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Instructions for experiencing Nourishment
Welcome to Nourishment. This is an audio-visual project with stories of people on the spectrum of eating disorders and disordered eating. The images here are designed to be viewed while listening to accompanying audio pieces, each of which is driven by the voice of the person in the image. There are four stories in total.
Use the navigation bar to explore each one. To experience the work in the intended way, please click on the audio track and explore the visuals while listening to the track.
Introduction and context for Nourishment
Eating disorders and disordered eating (ED and DE) are among the most common and yet misunderstood conditions. We talk about them but we don’t talk about them like we do other mental health conditions despite their frequency. Roughly 10% of Americans will experience an eating disorder at some point during their lives[1]. In the last several decades, eating disorder prevalence globally has more than doubled.[2] The latest statistic from the National Eating Disorders Association says that around 70 million people internationally live with eating disorders.
A brief explainer on eating disorders and disordered eating: EDs are a very broad category of conditions that include, but are not limited to, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), orthorexia nervosa, and other specified feeding or eating disorder (or OSFED). Disordered eating (DE) can include behaviors such as restrictive eating, frequent or compulsive dieting and/or exercising, frequently tracking weight, calories, or body-related metrics, compensating for food with exercise, purging, and more.
EDs and DE are a spectrum. The biggest difference between the two is whether or not an individual’s symptoms, behaviors, and experiences align with the diagnostic criteria defined by the American Psychiatric Association. Both impair an individual’s ability to function and can be marked by severe weight change. Disordered eating behaviors can lead to a clinical eating disorder diagnosis. Simply put, disordered eating is a phrase that describes a behavior, while an eating disorder is a formal diagnosis. Both are often comorbid with anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and trauma of many varieties. They can also be comorbid with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), which is a mental health condition in which a person has obsessive negative thoughts about an aspect of their body or appearance (it can be, but is not necessarily weight-related).
People of all genders, ethnic backgrounds, and ages are susceptible. Genetics can contribute as well; people whose parents or siblings have had eating disorders are more likely to have them. The jury still seems to be out on why these diseases occur; causes and origins are still being explored by science.
These misunderstandings have dire consequences. ED-related deaths are second to opioid-related deaths.[3] Around a quarter of people with EDs attempt suicide.[4]
In this series of audio/visual pairings, you’ll hear from several people who have worked through or are working on healing from an eating disorder and/or disordered eating. The experiences talked about here are both completely individual and share commonalities with one another. Please note that the stories that follow do not encompass all ED/DE experiences.
The work asks the viewer: how do we nourish ourselves when nourishment is hard to come by? How do those who have experienced or are experiencing ED/DE heal? How do they grapple with an individual, yet common narrator that tells them what to think, eats at them, eats with them, for them, starves them, and sometimes throws up what they eat?
Each of the stories in Nourishment explores the individual conflict with food and sustenance. The project is meant to nourish our collective need to talk about this misunderstood topic; it’s meant to nourish the listener and storyteller with authentic, poignant stories. The colors and fantastical elements throughout the work are intended to be visual nourishment. The total experience of engaging with the work could be nourishment for the viewer (I certainly hope it is).