Summer 2016 b

Connections
Project
I take photographs all the
time. It’s kind of an obsession;
I’ll capture some moss
on a concrete post, the sunlight
through leaves or my
children laughing. I will stop, get
my phone out and take a couple of clicks,
pop my phone away and we’ll all resume
our lives. What am I doing?
As an artist, I think I observe the world
slightly differently than say, my ‘engineer’
husband. I want to remember, preserve
and review that moment, that light,
that emotion. This passion for ‘looking
back’ is my reason for sharing my story
with you today.
My mother’s parents died when she was
just 17. They had very little as a family,
what they did have was a few photographs.
My mother held this collection in
an old suitcase under the stairs and added
to it as my brother and I grew up. She
would rarely be in the pictures. She wanted
to remember us as little people who
wiggled when a song came on the radio
or played in the mud in the garden...
those un-momentous moments of everyday
joy. Her collection would be revisited
whenever a relative would come and
visit for a cuppa. She’d get the suitcase
out and I remember sitting on the floor
running my fingers through the black and
white pictures. I knew the stories behind
most of the pictures by the time I was
eight, but I still loved to sit and listen to
my family reminisce using the photographs
as prompts.
Stories from the past have ever since
been interesting to me. I love to hear how
ordinary people have beaten every day
challenges. How did they live, overcome
those struggles and what did they do that
was different or extraordinary?
I work with a group of elderly people in a
care home in Dorchester, Dorset. We’ve
worked together for over two years now.
When I first started I naively expected I
would enable them to express their inner
self straight away. It was at a time when
there were a lot of stories about abuse in
63
residential care homes (Bristol) and I
thought I could help to change that. What
actually happened was that I had to take
stock and re-plan. I needed to lower my expectations
and go with their flow. So I did
and it worked. I piloted an idea I had after
meeting Jenna Edwards (15 days in clay)
in Holton Lee. She works with adults with
learning difficulties helping them to create
a piece of (theme based) work for an exhibition
at the end of their term (which was
initially one day per week for 15 weeks).
The artists she worked with found many
health and social benefits from the weekly
group sessions and the exhibition created
a sense of purpose & self-confidence (particularly
once they sold some work).
My older group has done three themed art
exhibitions so far. Each exhibition has a
catalogue and all work is mounted and
framed. The artists enjoy the exhibitions as
much as making the work, their relatives
and friends all attend which gives them a
new intelligent stimulation and allows for
more interesting engagement.... and it’s a
fun party!
The new theme for the exhibition they’re
currently working towards is ‘Connections’.
The artists are connecting with their
PAST (using photographs, film, painting
and creative writing), the PRESENT (by
making new connections, with schools,
community members, members of the public
& local businesses and groups) and their
FUTURE (talking about their hopes and
dreams for their families and the world at
large).
Another part of the connecting with the
PRESENT is encouraging people to write
to them and share their stories or something
about themselves, share a ‘selfie’ and send
their hand shapes.
Throughout the project and working with
the artists I have learnt the value of photographs
for other people; particularly as
a trigger for memories and to start discussions.
One member of the group doesn’t
have any photographs. We have no idea
where they are. She has early dementia and
can’t remember. I can’t imagine that and
I feel incredibly strongly that what we record
and discover throughout her story is
recorded and shared. The stories we have
already learnt through our sessions have
been interesting, funny and heart-warming.
The group have lived through wars, poverty
and many family ups and downs. Their
everyday challenges are frustrating, but
through this Art Exhibition I hope that you
will learn to see past those challenges.
Story telling helps us all to feel more connected,
we hope that by sharing the artists
stories using different creative media people
will try and understand their challenges,
take a moment to engage with an older
person and see the value in engaging with
the over 70s.
There is something to be learnt from the elder’s
past & the way they tell stories. Their
pace gives time for energies to settle & for
more thought; possibly a stronger connection.
By connecting with other groups, both the
artists and the visitors can share a new energy.
We had a group of school children come
to the care home during one session; both
groups talked about their artwork, played
and read stories. The spirit and atmosphere
in the care home & within the artists themselves
was lifted long after the children had
gone. When I saw the children a week later
they were still excited and stimulated by
meeting the older artists and listening to
their stories.
It’s interesting that the children have been
the most open to all aspects of connecting
with the artists in the care home. They
came into the home and didn’t stand back,
but poured into the room ready to share
themselves.
The Connections project has a social media
presence which I hope will continue
after the exhibition in September. I really
want to tour the exhibition and continue
with the momentum we have worked hard
to build. The messages in this whole project
are about spending time with the older
generation, raising awareness of the common
problems they face every day (with
the hope that if awareness is raised we can
all work together for the betterment of the
‘moment’ and to find an eventual cure).
If you are interested in connecting, participating
in a session, sending a picture or
you’d simply like to come to the exhibition
please connect through our Facebook page
or email me (Bridget) bongley@gmail.com
Bridget
Townsend.