Occulta explores my first-hand experience with Spina Bifida Occulta and associated back issues. Hidden conditions are rarely understood, especially back issues where millions suffer from back pain or discomfort daily.

 

In 2006 I was diagnosed with Spina Bifida Occulta (SBO) in vertebra S1 and I was left with no understanding of what this meant or what it looked like, only reassurance that the pain I had been experiencing for months in my hip was not in my head but a referral of the SBO. Thirteen years later, I suffered from chronic hip pain again, but this time I ended up hiding the discomfort from people to try to continue as normal as possible. In 2019, I discovered that there were more issues with my spine, with various curves and misalignments, the biggest in my lower back caused by the SBO, this was the source of all the pain I had been experiencing. To manage this, walking became an outlet for me to cope with my condition, to allow my body to recover and repair by taking part in physical movement and immersion in the environment around me.

 

Occulta represents how I deal with pain management and maintenance of my spine through these walks. Using photographs taken from the walks, I overlaid my x-rays from Broadstairs Chiropractic Clinic to portray the unseen struggles experienced by me daily, touching upon the medical gaze by making the unseen within me seen and visible for others to see. This is a very personal project, one that has taken me a long time to work towards throughout my projects, and courage to talk about the condition and my experience openly. By exploring and researching SBO and its associated conditions, speaking to those who also struggle and have similar conditions and experiences, I aim to raise awareness of Spina Bifida Occulta and its hidden challenges.

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A link to the 3D/VR online exhibition can be found on the exhibitions page

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Click to view individual images

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