REFRAMING II Installation at Down Arts Centre in collaboration with Brain Injury matters, NI

The installation REFRAMING II, is a collaboration between Rachel and participants from local charity Brain Injury MaHers NI. Re-Framing is a visual representation of a cyclical journey of change and transformation and acquired brain injury (ABI). Over several months of workshops, Rachel and the participants worked to develop a way to create origami ‘brains’. The installation is created in loops or ripples of origami brains, representing a cyclical journey of re-framing life after ABI. Colour was discussed at length during the sessions. Bright colours dominate the final piece, representing positive memories and experiences. Black is omitted as it was thought to be a negative colour, there is no room for negatively when reframing life - only moving forward. White is absent as the group believed this colour represents the immediate period of time post trauma, when you make peace with your deficits and commit to reframing your life. This installation consists of over 2500 pieces of paper shapes, all formed by people with ABI who had differing physical impairments associated with their brain injury. As new confidence grew with the techniques over weeks of making, different shapes evolved.