Releasing Jacqueline
The “Mother Figure”…..often excluded from the fairy tale story. It is believed that if the mother were alive, the protagonist would not be in the described predicament. For, a mother is born with an innate instinct to do whatever necessary to protect her young.
As long as memory serves, my mother suffered from an undiagnosed mental illness. She was well into her sixties when she had her first psychotic breakdown. Now her illness had a name…..schizophrenia. Understandably, I grew up with an emotionally absent mother. Her own voice, smothered by the demands of the “other” voices growing louder in her head. This fact becomes the foundation for the series Releasing Jacqueline. It seems fitting to use Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey as the framework to lead the viewer through the series.
Jacqueline was the name chosen for me by my mother. While still in the hospital after giving birth, a random nurse told her that name was too long. Responding to the observation, she changed my name to Judith. Growing up, my mom begged me to change my name to Jacqueline. This name became synonymous with her weakness and my own inner critic.
Inspired by a minimalist aesthetic and ideology, it is my intent to fabricate the fictitious narrative packed with metaphors and symbols for the viewer to contemplate and interpret.
In doing so, I hope to invite the audience to discover their own voice as they accompany Jacqueline on this audio-visual journey to self love and empowerment.
