The documented experiences of Joseph ODwyer, a young man who was institutionalized at one of Canadas most notorious historic psychiatric institutions.

On November 21, 1948, Joseph ODwyers suicide attempt was interrupted when a bystander pulled him out of the Kitsilano Pool in Vancouver. This set a series of events in motion that ends with ODwyers institutionalization at British Columbias first forensic psychiatric facility, Colquitz Hospital.

Still reeling from the untimely wartime deaths of ODwyers siblings, ODwyers parents reach out to the institution repeatedly, requesting permission to bring him home. When they finally succeed in their request, the visit takes an unexpected turn. ODwyer is sent away once again, to an institution that used procedures that were considered unconscionable even then.

But what circumstances brought ODwyer to the Kitsilano Pool in the first place? In Salt Green Death, researcher and artist Katarina Thorsen delves into 15 years of Joseph ODwyers life via patient files and other historical documents. This is her attempt at piecing together meaning and context in the experiences of the ODwyer familya small slice of historical graphic medicine brought to life in coloured pencil and graphite.