As sickening as it may sound, depression has always fascinated me. How can a chemically induced disease cause so many people to lose sight of the beauty in life? Why does our brain develop such an emotion that robs us from the pure joy of living? Atsuko Tanaka suffered from depression as well, which lead to her infamous reputation as a genius artist. Clear example of her unstable mind would be the Electric Dress, made out of just painted fluorescent bulbs and wires.
Inspired by the neon lights at the Osaka train station, she wanted to simulate the industrial progress her city and the consequences it may have induced. By donning on this outrageous outfit, she was causing harm to her own body (the industrial bulbs available then created far more heat than bulbs do now) referencing the harm women in Japan caused on themselves as they jumped in front of moving trains. 1956 was the peak of suicide rate amongst Japanese women.
On the positive side, by donning such an outfit, we also get a sense of playfulness and hope. I giggled to myself when my professor projected this image. She looks ridiculous! Nevertheless, the Electric Dress almost signifies how there is light at the end of the tunnel, per say. It brings attention to the troubling issue. Sometimes with depression, the best medicine is positive attention. And, Tanaka definitely does this with Electric Dress.
