The last week, I was spending in elderly house Tervaskanto in Somero where I was happy to give a therapeutic workshop-series of 10 parts/2hours already before.
Through Salo Art association (Salon taiteilijaseura) we got the chance to spend more quality time in one or more elderly houses, and share our creative points of view with the inhabitants and caretakers.
The main thought of the project is to bring a traveling exhibition (2 suitcases full of work from different artist from the art association) into the resting houses, and to build a project around it.
Through Salo Art association (Salon taiteilijaseura) we got the chance to spend more quality time in one or more elderly houses, and share our creative points of view with the inhabitants and caretakers.
The main thought of the project is to bring a traveling exhibition (2 suitcases full of work from different artist from the art association) into the resting houses, and to build a project around it.
After setting up the exhibition, we spend a day on each department, while giving painting workshops. The idea was to use used white sheets, which we partly got from the house itself, as a canvas. We them turned into an object to support sensoric needs in the specific department.
We chose to make an amount of pillows stimulating the touch-and visual sense. Also we created a curtain to ad to the window(door) at the end of a hallway to invite inhabitants to move through the hallways as an exercise.
An other canvas we turned into a tablecloth for the sunny veranda to stimulate the to gather there more socialy. And last but not least, we made colourful flags to hang under the name-tags at doors in the hallways as a recognition point for their personal rooms.
Inhabitants have been mostly painting them selves. Childhood memories, nature, flowers, small animals...seemed to be themes turning up all the time.
It was inspiring to talk to the people, even if their short-memory would last for about a minute. It was intriging to hear about the hard work they had done and the live these people
lived, before ending up in this resting home.
lived, before ending up in this resting home.
It was inspiring to talk to the people, even if their short-memory would last for about a minute. It was intriging to hear about the hard work they had done and the live these people
lived, before ending up in this resting home.
lived, before ending up in this resting home.
looked at me and I saw in her eyes that she recognised me and gave me a warm smile without asking my name. I felt proud to have become a little part of her life.
As an artist , it feels as a refreshment to let go of your own art, and to be the supporter of someone elses, no matter what age…
I hope that one day when I m old and grey, young artist will be motivating me to keep trying , to enjoy colours and forms, sounds, … again and again!
**Keanne**
p.s.: special thanks to "Varsinais Suomen Taiteen edistämiskeskus"
