Pere Ibañez’s sample work on bipolar
CandleX is partnering with the photographer, Pere Ibañez, to create a photo series that portrays the moods of bipolar disorder. This first-of-its-kind event aims to give those interested an opportunity to experience the emotions associated with the illness. The photos will be curated in an online album in order to raise awareness about bipolar disorder.
What is Bipolar?
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a mood disorder that causes unusual shifts of great magnitude in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out daily tasks. It is a severe and debilitating mental illness, but has only started to receive societal and academic attention in the past decade.
The Prevalence Rate for bipolar disorder is approximately 1.1% for the population over the age of 18 (source: US National Institute of Mental Health). This means that at any one time, 51 million people worldwide suffer from bipolar disorder, with around 12 million people based China, and 2.2 million in the USA.
Lovato talking about bipolar on Instagram
In recent years, many celebrities have admitted to having bipolar. Demi Lovato, American actress/singer/writer, revealed her illness in April 2011 in an interview with People magazine; and Eason Chan, front runner in the next generation of Cantopop, also shared his bipolar experience with the public.
CandleX is dedicated to increasing awareness of bipolar disorder in Beijing. As part of the movement, we are launching a new event series – Mood Lab.
What are we going to do?
Photos are a very powerful tool and are able to present a feeling or an idea. We would like to illustrate what having bipolar is like aided by the creativity of Pere Ibañez. We are looking for people who are interested in modeling for these photo shoots, prior to which, we will offer experiential workshops on emotions, with details as follows:
Mood LaB workshops: 6 and 27 November 2016, 2-hour sessions (exact timing to be confirmed).
Weekly Photo shoots: Between December 2016 to April 2017, exact timing to be liaised with model.
Both events will be provided for free.
Our photographer, Pere Ibañez, is known worldwide for producing works that evoke strong feelings. Some might find his photos shocking or intimidating, but they explore aspects of human nature that too often are underplayed and trivialized. His first photographic collection, EneME, has been released in 22 countries to date. The Leftlovers and Generation Y, his second and third series, both ranked #1 in iTunes sales for art ebooks in Spain.
Pere Ibañez, born and raised in Barcelona, currently lives in Beijing
How do get involved?
We are looking for:
People who are interested in learning more about bipolar and mood management to join us in Mood LaB workshops.
People in the Beijing community with an interest to be models for photo shoots.
We would require this of the models:
Strong interest in the topic
Commitment to join one of the Mood LaB workshops about emotions and moods.
Open-minded and easygoing; people who are sensitive to being nude in front of the camera might find it difficult to participate.
This is a great opportunity to learn more about mood and emotional management through the free workshops, and a chance to experience what it is like at a professional photo shoot!
By participating, you allow CandleX and the photographer to use your pictures for mental health awareness raising projects for free.
Sample bipolar image by Pere Ibañez: “Fireworks” aims to capture the light-heading rush and that sudden energy that might come during a manic episode.
To Apply
Please click here to submit an application.
All information in the application form will be kept confidential and only within the CandleX team.
We will hold a short phone interview with suitable candidates.
Please feel free to ask us any questions at: info@candlex.cn
