On October 11th, 2016 I lost one of my close friends to suicide. His name was Marshall and he was one of the most free-spirited, loving, and passionate people I had ever met. This was a huge shock to me and it very much changed my life, but this pain wasn’t momentary. It was something that was continually building and still is. 

I grew up in New Mexico, where suicide rates are almost double that of national averages. I can’t count the number of students that I went to high school with that lost their battle with mental illness and I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard these terrible stories from friends.

Even worse, I can’t count the number of times that I’ve heard a real conversation about prevention — and that’s because I haven’t. Which is alarming, because suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US and on average, about 129 people commit suicide everyday. Yet, regardless of prevalence, suicide is a taboo subject. No one really talks about it, and when they do, people tiptoe around it like they are walking on glass. 

I find this interesting, disappointing, and somewhat outrageous because discussion, reflection, and open-communication lead to awareness and understanding: one big step towards prevention. 

This is the reason I was inspired to create this project. I wanted to create a space that elicits self-reflection and provokes discussion around such a hard topic while also reflecting my own struggle with my friend Marshall’s death and this terrible phenomenon that I felt surrounded me in a way.

Light Studio Exhibition

Photos by Paul Chen