A Carrying Device for My Anxiety

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sterling silver, balloon, elastic, tubing

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A Carrying Device for my Anxiety is based on Sigurd Bronger’s Carrying Devices, which suspend and carry everyday objects as wearable jewels. In this piece, I appropriate Bronger’s humorous approach to wearable devices in order to provide the wearer with a better understanding of what my experience of anxiety feels like.

The carrying device can be breathed into to expel stress, leading the balloon inside to inflate and force itself against the interior of the vessel. If the pressure of the balloon is strong enough, the vessel will crack open, ruining the polished and reliable exterior and bearing its insides for all to see. The pendant’s own weight pinches the balloon partially closed, allowing for the wearer to externalize their internal pressure and allow it to dissipate slowly.