Turning an illness into an artform

The V&A Dundee’s first design champion, Kirsty Stevens, explains how MS has inspired her artistry and jewellery brand

Iwas diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) while in my third year of jewellery and metal design at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee.

After a year out, taken to come to terms with the diagnosis, I returned and based my final year’s degree show work on what it was like to live with MS. This had an unexpectedly great response and I knew I had to continue using MS as my inspiration.

After graduating I moved to London and undertook various internships, which eventually led to me working fulltime in retail. Though I enjoyed it, retail wasn’t my true passion and I always had my MS-inspired work in the back of my mind.

Eventually I made the move back to Scotland and was accepted to be part of Vanilla Ink, a studio that helps young jewellers set up their own business.

I applied with a new take on looking at my illness as inspiration, this time using the damaging lesion shapes caused by my MS.

The time I spent in the studio allowed me to experiment with my design work.

It also helped me realise my love for designing prints and patterns from my lesions, which I gradually evolved into my own brand called Charcot.

I use the damage caused by MS, which is due to my immune system attacking the coating of the nerves. These lesions are visible on MRI scans and are shown as white shapes.

I take these shapes and play with them to create interesting and delicate patterns that transform this ugly negative into a beautiful positive.

I wanted the name of my business to have a nod to my condition but not to include the words or terms that people find most daunting, such as multiple sclerosis or MS.

It was a professional development day focused on branding that got me looking at what MS means and its history, which was really interesting.

I learned it was first discovered by the French neurologist Jean Martin Charcot, also known as “the father of neurology”, back in 1868. And that was it. My business became Charcot, which I think fits it perfectly.

I was thrilled to be asked by UNESCO City of Design, Dundee to be the city’s representative at the design week in Shenzhen, China, which was appointed as a UNESCO City of Design in 2008.

It was my first international platform and an unexpected opportunity.

There I met many interesting designers from other UNESCO Cities of Design, such as Nagoya (Japan), Montreal (Canada) and Saint-Étienne (France).

It really brought home the importance of connecting with fellow designers, no matter their discipline, as even the briefest conversation can prove inspiring.

Another unexpected accolade was being announced as the first design champion for V&A Dundee.

Last year I was contacted by the team to feature Charcot in a project about design processes. It was a wonderful experience, as I hadn’t realised I was on their radar.

The project involved filming me while I worked in the print studio and photo shoots at my home in Falkland.

However, I was only told the project was about design champions on the last day of filming – not to mention the fact that I was going to be the first one and had to keep it a secret.

I was so honoured and the announcement couldn’t have come at a more perfect time as it was MS Awareness Week in the UK and I was out in China showing my work and raising MS awareness at the Shenzhen Design Week.

I plan to continue raising awareness of MS through exhibiting my work and developing the collection.

Charcot now proudly supports the MS Society and donates 5% of profits from every sale towards crucial development of MS research.

I am so proud the brand has gained so much recognition this year and that people understand and appreciate what I am trying to do through Charcot.

Clockwise from main picture: Charcot’s brain skull necklaces; Kirsty Stevens; a brain moth necklace; and a fauna scarf design created from Kirsty’s MRI scan. Pictures: Wardrobe Conversations, Julie Howden and Kirsty Stevens.