Artist Statement

‘Electric Chaos’ is a piece of art that represents how I, Ingrid Pfau, feel during a seizure. It combines writing and watercolor to tell the story of my experience with epilepsy.

The top-left section is watercolor, while the bottom-right focuses on time and seizures. Seizures can happen at any moment, so I chose the numbers 1, 2, 4, 4, 5, and 6 and intentionally left out the other times. I have also included printed images of myself having a seizure to show what I look like during one. I have three types of seizures, although my most common expression is looking to the left, and sometimes to the right.

For example, on August 31, 2026, the day I completed this piece, I had five seizures. Most of the time, I have seizures once a day. The longest break I have had without one is 12 days.

I currently have a VNS and a DBS, and I am trying to decide whether I want to explore an RNS as well. Is it worth trying? I am not sure yet.

Despite epilepsy, I still make movies for NCHPAD and, for the most part, live a full life. One day, I hope to make a short film about everything that has happened to me this year. For me, art is one of the best ways to keep my mind calm. I believe that anyone, with or without epilepsy, can benefit from making art because it can be incredibly calming.

After all, epilepsy is a condition in which the electrical activity in the brain can become chaotic or extremely fast. Art, at least for me, has the opposite effect—it helps calm me. I hope this piece simply tells a story about what epilepsy feels like from my perspective. After all, not everyone experiences the same type of seizure.

Art