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When
I first heard that there was an abandoned mental institute
in Illinois I knew I had to find it. It took me almost
a year-the summer of 2001-before I had the name of the
town and after driving around Manteno aimlessly in the
middle of the night, I was pointed in the right direction
by some local kids.
As I pulled up to the main building I was overcome with
excitement and fear. The main door was intimidating
and what lay inside was a mystery. In turning the corner
I realized how massive the property was. Over thirty
buildings, staring back at me in the dark and haunting
quiet. Too scared to enter at night, I sat in the car
while a friend peered through a window.
Abandoned buildings had already been my favorite subject
to shoot and my friend yelled, "Come here you are
going to love this!" As he boosted me up I got
my first glance of what was to be my new obsession.
This would be my next project. I already knew I wanted
to tell a story, but what! t? What words could possibly
due the massive asylum justice? I came across the story
of Gennie and it was without question, I decided to
capture her taunting tale on film.
I had the vision but creating it was a challenge. It
wasn't until fall of 2001- and bitterly cold- when i
was able to begin the shoot.
The insides of the buildings were far colder than the
outside air. My vision called for a girl to represent
Gennie. That meant I needed a friend to pose as the
tortured patient. This was a painstaking process. The
story needed to be painted on her body which meant she
had to pose naked. I used acrylic paint and to add to
the cold, with each new line, the old paint had to be
washed off with gallons of water-which we heated prior
to leaving-but it was still freezing for her to stand
there wet.
Eventually we started to just paint over the old words.
Standing there shivering in a sweater, winter coat,
and hat I can't imagine what it was like for her. Not
only was it cold, but dirty. She had to walk across
the floors barefoot.
Writing on the walls was another challenge. It sounds
easy enough to paint a wall but the walls often crumbled
under my brush and took a lot longer than expected.
Unfortunately due to the cold, the entire story was
not captured on film. We vowed to finish the project
in the spring but later that winter the main building
was torn down.
None
of these images were done digitally. I think it is important
that for a brief time what you are seeing actually took
place. I feel it is important for the story of Gennie
to be told and for people to know the injustices she
and many others were subjected to. I want to thank my
friend Becka for playing the part of Gennie and for
sticking it out through the cold to help me bring my
vision to life. Please let me know if you have any questions
or comments. I hope you enjoy the Gennie Sessions.
-Kristyn Vinikour
BACK
TO TOP
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Upon
her admission, a physician noted that Gennie
was neat, clean, tidy. Extremely quiet, but
friendly and agreeable, cooperative in ward
and routine. Later, he charted "No active
signs of pathology."
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The
examiner probing for paranoid tendencies asked
if she had any enemies. "Everyone has",
Gennie said. Her brother was an enemy because
he had threatened to hurt her.
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The
therapist asked Gennie what she would do if
she were released from the asylum.
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Gennie
said she would like to have a job, clothes,
some books.
She would buy powder and have some teeth extracted.
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The
therapist noted that Gennie had repeated a statement
several times during the examination, "A
person that is 25 years old should be away from
family entanglements."
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Several
months later Gennie was subjected to hydrotherapy-repeatedly
plunged in and out of ice water. Afterwards
she asked: "Is life a farce?"
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"What
i have of it is," she replied, she felt
normal, "except for the stigma of insanity."
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Gennie
had been given 40 insulin comma "treatments,"
and had undergone 14 bouts of electroshock therapy.
How had she responded? "Gennie was idle,
rather unfriendly, does not mingle well with
others, talks in a disagreeable way...she is
not especially neat or clean."
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