Emilie Rasmussen
Born in Lørenskog, Norway in 1992
Biography
At age 20, I am addicted to heroin and feel seen, respected and taken care of by the Serbian guy. On several occasions when travelling together, us girls are having fun, are aware that we are smuggling drugs for him, but unaware of the implications. We witness his cruelty towards people owing him money.
At age 21, I work as a waitress and beg my mother for help, who sends me away when I'm high. My father caves in and helps me, after I mention that otherwise I will have to sell my body. Because my father never turns me away, my little stepsister sees me high and tells her mother. As a result, my dad loses custody of her for a couple of years.
At age 22, to please my parents and drug counsellor, I agree to go to rehab for the first time and get kicked out after six months for faking my urine samples. Back in Oslo, I overdose on heroin and am mad at the ambulance workers for giving me an antidote, which saves my life but causes immediate withdrawal symptoms.
At age 22, I am diagnosed for the first time, with emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) in one treatment centre, and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) in another. As I am not clean, I am not considered for treatment, and the diagnosis are potentially wrong.
At age 23, in Oslo, I am homeless and repeatedly overdose. My drug counsellor forces my admission to hospital, where my hepatitis C is treated. After repeated chaotic episodes related to drugs and fighting with guards, I end up in the psychiatric ward, strapped to a bed.
At age 29, my lawyer applies for 3 years in ND (a Court Supervised Narcotics Program in Norway) instead of a prison sentence. There, the focus turns out to be on monitoring instead of helping addicts and fail to meet their demands and appointments for drug tests and therapy. They end my participation in the program and ask for a new trial.
Related spaces
The conceptual architecture of TBDWBAJ is based on the investigation of various social spaces, isolated space, cultural space, public space and virtual space. Each of these rooms describes a phase of the project and takes on a different perspective.