Mental health exhibition features Kiwi advocate Jazz Thornton at London museum

Warning: This article discusses suicide.

A poignant exhibition about mental health aims to "create some urgency" for the government.

The Museum of Lost and Found Potential launched on Thursday in London. 

Among the objects on display are a tree branch, a pair of riding boots and a chess board. 

For 16 people from around the world, these items hold powerful significance. They embody what people have lost, and what they have found in the throes of mental illness.

"I hope it will create some urgency," said Kiwi activist Jazz Thornton.

"There are tangible lives being lost. This will put a face to these statistics."

Thornton is represented by a tree branch, and a note she wrote to her future self during her recovering entitled "Dear Suicidal Me."

The museum holds 16 interactive portraits of people across the world. 

They range from the riding boots of an Australian teenager who died by suicide, to an installation which depicts the story of a Ghanaian woman who was fired due to her bipolar and psychosis and how she re-gained control of her life.

The museum was created by Speak Your Mind  a global campaign aimed at ensuring mental health support across the world. 

Thornton helped launch the organisation at the United Nations General Assembly last week. 

Visitors to the museum will be asked to speak their minds and add a 40 second message to the organisations voice petition. 

By the time visitors have spoken for 40 seconds, another person will have committed suicide somewhere in the world.

After its world premiere, the museum will travel across the world.

Where to find help and support: 

Newshub.