First Aid

Adhesive bandages provide a first-aid solution: they cover and protect, yet can do nothing to heal injury. Military badges, however, carry pain, loss and complexity with them in the form of a pin. "First Aid" explores the encounter between these two objects, in an association loaded with conflicting implications of injury, survival and glory.
This work features adhesive bandages worn as insignia, bringing to light questions regarding trauma, balancing of power, and the blurred lines that separate between valor and vulnerability. Much like a medal or other military decoration, the object here operates as a material indication of a both physical and emotional experience – one that attempts to simultaneously veil, protect, and immortalize. The distinction between dressing and decoration becomes unclear, while a potential avenue opens up from among the tension and pain, leading the way towards comfort.
Produced as part of studies in the Department of Industrial Design at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem, under the supervision of Neta Shamia-Ofer.