PAURL WALSH

As I have grown up, my mother wants to hear about my life as an artist, and upon hearing, her reply has become, “I’m famous too, I’m a Psychic Radio Star”. For eleven years I have been creating gifts of performance for my schizophrenic mother. Through this performance I want to imagine who the Psychic Radio Star is. The self given title is so evocative I can’t help but think of images of: unfathomable universal forces, mythology of the galaxy, ancient cave paintings, neon fish, and the dark shadowy depths of the sea. These images evoke memories of growing up with my mother: her sensibilities and joys; her hobbies and eccentricities; and her complicated, beautiful mind as it slips, piece by piece, into unbalance. Through this work I feel that I am able to provide a voice for my Psychic Radio Star mother, while encouraging a healing and constructive conversation around the failed mental health care system in America. A major goal of this work is to engage with community/organizations through the idea of art as therapy. In the hopes of creating a safe place for anyone to talk freely about their own experiences with mental health. As I continue to explore my mother’s story – I also tell my own.