Guggenheim Gallery exhibition ‘Standardized Patient’ gives insight on mental health in a clinical environment
Los Angeles-based artist Kerry Tribe’s “Standardized Patient” visualized mental health through projections that feature interactions between patients and their doctor. Photos by EMI THOMAS, Staff Photographer
Chapman University’s Guggenheim Gallery showcased Kerry Tribe’s “Standardized Patient,” a visualized representation of mental health among health patients, following this year’s Wilkinson College’s Engaging the World theme, health equity.
Tribe is a visual artist and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, who focuses her work on human consciousness and real-life scenarios.
The exhibition first opened on Oct. 23 to the public, consisting of two projector screens: one representing the context and action between a patient and their doctor, and the other representing the emotion and conflict the patient feels. There was also a video soundtrack played in the background. The exhibit closed on Nov. 30.
Both videos included actors as medical school students. The projector was also set at a specific angle that didn’t allow people who walked into the gallery to see what was being played on the screen, creating a sense of mystery for the audience.
Guggenheim Gallery Coordinator Marcus Herse recognizes the abstract meaning of the patient and the challenging aspect he had in coordinating the exhibit.
“This idea is going around the standardized patient exam that medical students have to take,” Herse said in an interview with The Panther. “The medical students in the videos have to tell patients bad news (and) learn how to empathize with somebody when they are given a diagnosis, and they have to deal with this change in life. It’s very interesting to see the interactions between the patient and the medical student, and to see what empathizing with people truly means.”
The series of photographs on the wall showcase diagnostic charts and letters to patients regarding their health.
The exhibit consisted of post-production, scripting and research within the videos to align scientific facts with the script, according to Herse. Due to both videos in the exhibit representing real life scenarios, it was crucial for Tribe and the actors to perform the scripts as accurately as possible.
“The most challenging part of resembling this exhibition was the technology,” Herse said. “We have two very good projectors and two sets of speakers above the projection. Therefore, all the wiring is going up to the ceiling and back down, so you don’t see much of the tech when you walk in, but the sound surrounds the room like a movie theater.”
The gallery focuses on emotions and expressions that health patients feel when going through life-changing experiences, as well as showcasing the concerns and emotions of family members towards the individual who is sick.
Senior studio art major Anna Ledbetter has worked at the Guggenheim Gallery for three years.
“My favorite part when putting up an exhibit is seeing the final part come together,” Ledbetter said. “Setting up the exhibit takes a lot of work and time, so seeing the final results always makes it worth it.”
“My favorite part when putting up an exhibit is seeing the final part come together. Setting up the exhibit takes a lot of work and time, so seeing the final results always makes it worth it.”
According to the Guggenheim Gallery website, the “Standardized Patient" focuses on the exploration of emotion and mental health in a clinical environment.
“The project explores questions of empathy, communication and performance and was developed through Tribe’s close collaboration with professional clinicians, communication experts and ‘Standardized Patients,’” the website states.
Tribe visited campus on Nov. 29 to give a tour of her exhibit to the public. Her work has been admired by many art students and professors at chapman.
“Medical issues aren’t really front and center,” Tribe said in an interview with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. “It’s really about how we make peace with the people that we care about most.”
