Interactive Project: [Defense] Mechanisms

[Defense] Mechanisms: A Final Year Project

"[Defense] Mechanisms" is a visualisation of the intangible defense mechanisms, using the tangible engineering mechanisms as a medium. Some defense mechanisms are detrimental to our self-growth, but since they are usually deployed unknowingly, it is hard to move on from these negative defense mechanisms (Holland, 2019). "[Defense] Mechanisms" aims to walk the user through what goes on in their head when they subconsciously deploy a defense mechanism. With the use of various engineering mechanisms, using a ball as a medium to represent the user, they will be able to see what goes on in the mind, and from there, learn more about themselves to then be able to take the first step towards self-improvement. This is a Final Year Project by Loh Wan Hui that consists of a series of 4 interactive rolling ball sculptures that is decreasing in size, of which each sculpture is a visualisation of one “defense mechanism” in each level of the Vaillant’s categorisation.

The four sculptures in order are:

1. Denial

2. Projection

3. Reaction Formation

4. Sublimation

Design Aim

The design aim of my project is simply to carry out the first step of growth, to let people know about the existence of these defense mechanisms so that they can hopefully acknowledge it and ultimately grow as a person. I chose to use engineering mechanism as the medium because they are both “mechanisms”, so that people can make the natural link through the word itself. What I have in mind for the final piece is perhaps using the motion, shape, action of interaction of certain components of mechanisms to use as visual metaphors for the different defense mechanisms.

Aesthetics Choice

I wanted to keep the sculpture’s aesthetics clear because it is representing the person’s mind, and this sculpture is like a metaphor for “looking through the mind”, which I thought that making it transparent would convey that idea better. I also chose white for the ball representing the user because white gives a feeling of a blank canvas that will allow the user to have the freedom to imagine whatever they want to be. In order to have contrast to the otherwise transparent sculpture, I decided to have a dark opaque background that is the complete opposite to the rest of the sculpture so that it is easier to see the sculpture, rather than having it all transparent. So I decided to use MDF board and paint it black. I also chose MDF rather than black acrylic because I wanted it to have a matte finish rather than a glossy finish which most of the black acrylic sold in the market are.

3D rendering of the 4 sculptures: Denial, Projection, Reaction Formation, Sublimation (from left to right)

Motivation for the project

From my research findings, it is stated in a paper that defense mechanisms are being used by everyone, and even the most conscientious, intelligent person may occasionally delude himself and may not acknowledge the motives that guide his behaviour (Cramer, 2006). And some of these defense mechanisms that we subconsciously deploy may not be beneficial to us in the long run because they disallow us from coming to terms with reality. I then made the link that since engineering mechanism is something that is tangible and we can see, touch, and hear, is it possible to visualise the intangible defense mechanisms using engineering mechanism as the medium. Just like how an engineering mechanism can be dismantled to figure out how it works, can defense mechanisms also be broken down methodically? To acknowledge the use of these mechanisms, we need an outsider to help us identify it (Cramer, 2006), and that’s where my work will come in, to play the role of the outsider. By first acknowledging the existence of these negative defense mechanisms, we can reduce the use of these negative defense mechanism and then take a step towards learning and using more mature coping mechanisms (Zook, 1998).

3D rendering of "Denial" - the first of the 4 sculptures

Conceptualising: Denial

Using my first defense mechanism as a start to my conceptualisation, “Denial”, I take the essence of this defense mechanism, like its characteristic, and then imagine how I would portray it in terms of movements. Denial is the act of ignoring the reality of a situation to avoid anxiety, keeping you from addressing a problem or making a needed change. While not acknowledging reality or denying the consequences of that reality can allow you to have time to adjust to a sudden change in your reality, it can eventually cause a problem in your life (Cherry, 2021). I then take what each part means, and define it even further, using simple words, and then translating these into verbs.

Putting it into a step-by-step process on how the mechanism is working:
1. Keeping you from addressing a problem: Vicious cycle after you go through the process, it climbs back to the top of your mind

• climbing mechanism that brings ball to the top (highest point of the mechanism)
2. Avoid: keep away from (blocking)
• obstructions, constantly blocking the ball
3. Anxiety: physical symptom; trembling, breathing fast (vibrating)
• shaking platform but constant hitting, connected to small gears so that will hit faster, creating vibrations
4. Have time to adjust: Path of relaxation
• wavey path that is smooth, but slows down the ball (curved zigzag path)

3D rendering of various parts of "Denial"

Each section represent how the ball will be going through the whole mechanism of “Denial”, with the first being ignoring the problem which is represented by the user dropping the ball, into the mechanism to begin, so is like you keep wanting to drop the thought, and then the process of “Denial” will begin, where the mechanism will bring the thought to the top of your mind, as represented by the climbing mechanism that brings the ball to the highest point of the mechanism. And then comes “Avoidance”, which means constantly keeping away from, so that is like the action of blocking, so in my mechanism, there will be this part where the ball will collide into walls over and over again. Then the next part is “Anxiety” which I’m representing it as the physical symptom of trembling and breathing fast. And how I’m representing that is through vibrations, where the ball will land in a platform where there will be a mechanism under the platform to constantly hit it at a fast rate to make the ball constantly “vibrate” on the platform to represent anxiety with the fast hitting motion and sounds. Finally, the ball will proceed to a path that is smooth and slow to show the “time taken to adjust”.

3D rendering of "Projection" - the second of the 4 sculptures

Conceptualising: Projection

Projection is when people displace their own behaviour on to others because they are not willing to accept it themselves, so they subconsciously believe it’s actually someone else. The classic example of Freudian projection is that of a person who has been unfaithful to his/her partner, but then accuses her partner being the one who is cheating. Because the person projects it on someone else, it much easier to accept that behaviour, so that’s the part about the desire for a more predictable world (Beauman, 2017).

So similar to “Denial”, each part of the definition is broken down to sections. Breaking “Projection” down, firstly the starting part of the mechanism is in the form of a projector, so that people can make the reference that this is “Projection”. The action of displacement is shifting from one place to another, so that is represented by the rotation reels to show displacement from the start and on to the wall. Then there will be another ball waiting on the wall. And when “Projection” is deployed, it’s as if you are looking into a mirror, where you are looking at yourself on another person because you’ve projected your own ideas on to another person whom you can more easily see and understand as compared to yourself.

Putting it into a step-by-step process on how the mechanism is working:
1. Projection: the presentation of an image on a surface, especially a cinema screen
• Installation being on the wall
2. Displacing: the action of shifting/transporting from one place to another
• Transferring from one “reel” to another
3. Attributing one’s own unacceptable urges to another: Mirror the actions but represented differently
• Splitting the installation into 2 mirrored parts
i. Thinking they don’t understand: random shapes on a wall
ii. Predictable and clearly-patterned world: uniform pattern

3D rendering of various parts of "Projection"

Each section represents how the ball will be going through the whole mechanism of “Projection”, with the first part being represented by an old school film projector to provide the context. The ball then goes through the 2 reels of the projector before being “projected” onto the screen that is represented by the wall that is split into 2 sections. One section is made up of randomised blobby shapes while the other section is an organised path downwards. These 2 sections represent the part of the definition that states “things that they don’t understand” and “predictable and clearly-patterned world” respectively.

3D rendering of "Reaction Formation" - the third of the 4 sculptures

Conceptualising: Reaction Formation

Reaction Formation is a defense mechanism in which a person unconsciously expresses the opposite of their inner feelings in their outward behavior (Vinney, 2021). A classic example is a young boy who bullies a young girl because, on a subconscious level, he's attracted to her.

Putting it into a step-by-step process on how the mechanism is working:

1. Opposite: completely different, the reverse of something
• Some sort of reversing motion, opposite of the input force
2. Inner feelings in their outward behaviour: internal and external
• Ball entering and exiting a section

3D rendering of various parts of "Reaction Formation"

The top section is a piston mechanism that will push the ball in the opposite direction, away from the user, and this represents the “opposite” part in the definition of Reaction Formation. The next section is where the ball will roll towards the user and go through under the piston mechanism in an enclosed area till it exits and end.

3D rendering of "Sublimation" - the last of the 4 sculptures

Conceptualising: Reaction Formation

Sublimation is a mature type of defense mechanism of which socially unacceptable impulses or idealizations are transformed into socially acceptable actions or behavior, possibly resulting in a long-term conversion of the initial impulse (Cherry, 2020). An example given is a teenager who has angry and violent urges may join his school’s wrestling team to divert his negative energy into something more positive (Sussex Publishers, n.d.).

Putting it into a step-by-step process on how the mechanism is working:
1. Transforming socially unacceptable behaviour: strong force that might be harmful
• Shooting force
2. Socially acceptable behaviour:
• A positive result: basketball, representing positive energy into sports

3D rendering of various parts of "Sublimation"

The mechanism that will launch the ball forward with the help of a spring installed behind a piece of acrylic that will hit the ball forward. The ball will then be launched forward into a hoop to show the negative energy being converted into a more positive form, in the form of sports as an example.

Final Exhibition

The setup consisted of a 1500mm x 600mm x 1000mm white pedestal to display "Denial" and "Projection", with a 27'' iMac to display the 3D renderings. The exhibition ADM Show 2022: & Beyond was held at 37 Emeral Link S(229313) from 15 - 29 May 2022. The exhibition consisted of over 100 of artworks from the final year students of the School of Art, Design and Media.

I did some 3D renders to briefly see how I would arrange my setup, and then fabricated in real life.