School of Design Silversmithing & Jewellery
Misha McLean
My Graduate Collection ‘Repeat Prescription focuses’ on our relationship with medicine. In the Western world, pharmaceuticals are undoubtedly intertwined in our daily lives. Medicine can be a life-saving tool but can equally cause harm to those who take it, resulting in many polarising opinions on this subject.
Some see medicine as something that significantly improves their quality of life, allowing them to live without pain or discomfort.
Some only take medicine when it is essential, as they are afraid of the adverse side effects.
Some people see medicine as something valuable, precious and unattainable due to failing healthcare systems.
Some see medicine as a way of “patching up” one’s problems, masking symptoms rather than addressing the root cause.
Without medicine, some people would not be alive.
I have created this collection to explore attitudes towards medicine in the Western world and encourage others to think about their relationship with prescription medication.
REPEAT PRESCRIPTION: A Pill a Day
My collection is split into three categories, each exploring a sub-theme within my overarching subject.
The first category is called: A Pill a Day. It is a series of pieces of jewellery that explore the notion of taking medicine daily and by prescription; this category focuses on the visual elements of medicine and its packaging and how it changes as someone uses the medicine.
REPEAT PRESCRIPTION: Always read the PIL
The third category is called: Always read the PIL. It focuses on the Patient Information Leaflets that come with medicines. These are usually rather frightening, displaying a vast array of side effects that the medication can produce. These are often either disregarded by the user and thrown away or meticulously combed through by the user in fear of what taking the drug may do. These opposing reactions to this object fascinated me and prompted me to explore it.