Researching suicide from an original voice, collaborative, arts-based perspective: issues for doctoral research, supervision and examination

Shortly after being informed of his brother’s suicide in 2002, Mic descended into a suicidal crisis of his own. As he had already attempted to take his own life on two separate occasions as a teenager, he began to fear for his safety. His brother’s death acted as a catalyst to begin a process of self-discovery though art. As a sculptor and installation artist, Mic began by creating artworks that incorporated life-affirming qualities within them. This paper explores the doctoral research that developed from Mic’s practice and experience and is supported by the voice of Mic’s supervisor, Lexi, so that the context for the work may be explored. It is a collage of voices, images and text.