Melayna Bongard-Mason

Recognising Unseen Care and Emotional Labour in Eldest Siblings

Threads Bound by Birth explores how mixed-media communication design can give eldest siblings a voice and nurture empathy between siblings and parents through a hand-bound analogue publication. Rooted in practice-led, design-based research, the project investigates how personal storytelling and material expression can reveal the emotional labour often carried by eldest siblings in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Through tactile methods such as collage, hand-binding, screen-print effects, and poetry, the work translates lived experiences into visual and material forms that express both the emotional weight and the resilience found in caregiving. Insights drawn from studies of parentification, personal reflection, and cultural understandings of family dynamics guide the design process, shaping a publication that is both intimate and reflective.

By transforming unseen caregiving into a tangible, expressive artefact, Threads Bound by Birth positions the designer as both storyteller and advocate, giving voice to eldest siblings and acknowledging their often hidden care and emotional labour. The project demonstrates how communication design can make these experiences visible, fostering empathy, recognition, and deeper connection within families by revealing and honouring the complex emotional layers of
eldest siblings.