Elderly center

At the end of last week+ the beginning of this week we ve been wallpainting in Kukkonkalion elderly centre in Salo. I love this kind of projects: creativity get s an immediate purpose not putting the weight in the artists imago. Te idea was that we wouldn t just paint our own thoughts/interests, what we want to show to the world, but we listen carefully to the people working and living there, asked about there wishes, their needs as it s their house...before we starded.
The project is also linked to a bigger project "Hymykuopat", including lots more then only painting walls. Tea, Satu and Eija have been there many weeks, to get an idea of the world they live in, done projects together with the elderly, for example in the form of poems and different kinds of painting...also painting a large tree to attach different tjhings to according to the time of the year. This all with as main purpose "research" : how to create a possible ,longer lasting programe trying to stimulate the elderly 's social live and their mobility through creativity for the future years.

The rabbit-scene I painted is just near a restplace, and I never had a more sensitive, fun audience while painting following my every strike, mixing paints, making sketches....
We painted on the department of demention. Keeping in mind: not to strong colors, they often frighten. The people are between 80-100 years old: theme s in their interests , memory goning back to the earlier years in their lives, are mostly nature. They have been farming, living with and between nature/animals more then us. As they remember at most in times of 2-3 minutes, it was nice to get straight honest oppinions, and every several minutes the same comments:) without real judgment linked to the outsideworld, or to trends: just what they felt in the moment...

Tomorow evening you can find Salla(Järveläinen) and me in the library in Turku (18 pm), welcome to listen/discus about our book "Ystävyys kuin perhosen kutitus" and see some live drawing.

Now rushing to do one of my favorite jobs: paperwork.
Its a rainy day but wishing sunshine to all :)