At the Bottom of a Well

A solitary dustbin in the street on non-bin day, the smell of diesel, climbing into a van; all are triggers that generate memories of a traumatic experience or operating in a potentially stressful environment. Road traffic collision victims, ex and serving uniformed service and military personnel who are not all officially diagnosed with a mental condition recall periods of their life on an almost daily basis due to subtle sensory reminders. Identifying mental illness begins with recognition in one’s self. Not always easy, especially in young men and even then the stigma attached to a condition that is not physically apparent is difficult to overcome. The decision to seek help is a brave one but once made the invisible illness can be treated. Mackay served twenty-two years in the British Army. He presents two distinctly different types of image to explore the relationship between an environmental trigger and the individual. Everyone has a past and the apparently insignificant can be enough to transport anyone back there.