23 October 2015
On Friday afternoon I was at the Museum of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile to see 'Mothers, Daughters, Fathers, Sons – Memories of Childhood', an intergenerational oral history exhibition that celebrates the heritage of Chinese and South Asian older people and their UK-born family members. This exhibition, by the Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People Project (MECOPP) as part of the Luminate Festival, consists of pairs of interviews with two people from the same family (Mother/Daughter, Father/Son, Grandmother/Granddaughter etc). Written transcripts of the interviews are presented alongside a selection of family photos. These reflections on childhood explore the difficulties of early life in a variety of countries (including India, Pakistan, Vietnam and China) as well as remembering school, family life and first jobs. It is intriguing to spot the areas of overlap between the reminiscences of the older and younger generations. And it is particularly interesting to read about each family's experience of coming to live in Britain. The exhibition also includes beautiful large photographs of objects that have particular significance to the interviewees (and some of the objects themselves are also on display) – often objects that they have mentioned in their interviews. These photographs are also available as free postcards which visitors to the exhibition can take home. The exhibition involves a lot of reading but the investment of time required is well rewarded: it's a fascinating examination of families, childhood and ageing.
Showing posts with label Luminate2015. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Luminate2015. Show all posts
Friday, October 23, 2015
Gallery Social: 'Arthur Melville: Adventures in Colour'
23 October 2015
On Friday morning I was at the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh for the dementia-friendly Gallery Social event, part of the Luminate Festival. This was a relaxed and informal guided tour of the 'Arthur Melville: Adventures in Colour' exhibition for anyone affected by dementia, their friends, relatives and supporters. 16 of us gathered in the Clore Education Centre for tea and cake, followed by a chance to try some of the watercolour techniques that the Scottish artist Arthur Melville (1855 – 1904) pioneered. It was fascinating to see the effects that you can create by wetting the paper with a sponge and then adding drops of watercolour paint which spread beautifully through the water. I was quite pleased with my painting but, while the rest of us were producing pretty, abstract shapes, one member of our group had finished a stunning copy of the Arthur Melville painting being used on the poster for the exhibition. Practical participation is a regular feature of the National Galleries Scotland 'Gallery Social' events, and the understanding of technique and medium that you get, even from a short practical session, makes you appreciate the paintings in the exhibition from a much more informed perspective. Our tour of the Arthur Melville exhibition offered fascinating insights into the artist's life, technical skills and subject matter. You always get so much more from looking a painting when an expert points out key features or context to you. The Gallery Social is aimed at carers as much as at those suffering from dementia and our guides never talked down to their audience, providing an enthusiastic, informed, amusing and intellectual commentary on Arthur Melville and his works. I learned a great deal about watercolours and this fascinating artist.
On Friday morning I was at the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh for the dementia-friendly Gallery Social event, part of the Luminate Festival. This was a relaxed and informal guided tour of the 'Arthur Melville: Adventures in Colour' exhibition for anyone affected by dementia, their friends, relatives and supporters. 16 of us gathered in the Clore Education Centre for tea and cake, followed by a chance to try some of the watercolour techniques that the Scottish artist Arthur Melville (1855 – 1904) pioneered. It was fascinating to see the effects that you can create by wetting the paper with a sponge and then adding drops of watercolour paint which spread beautifully through the water. I was quite pleased with my painting but, while the rest of us were producing pretty, abstract shapes, one member of our group had finished a stunning copy of the Arthur Melville painting being used on the poster for the exhibition. Practical participation is a regular feature of the National Galleries Scotland 'Gallery Social' events, and the understanding of technique and medium that you get, even from a short practical session, makes you appreciate the paintings in the exhibition from a much more informed perspective. Our tour of the Arthur Melville exhibition offered fascinating insights into the artist's life, technical skills and subject matter. You always get so much more from looking a painting when an expert points out key features or context to you. The Gallery Social is aimed at carers as much as at those suffering from dementia and our guides never talked down to their audience, providing an enthusiastic, informed, amusing and intellectual commentary on Arthur Melville and his works. I learned a great deal about watercolours and this fascinating artist.
'Broth' by Donna Rutherford
23 October 2015
Oliver Sacks' grandfather, who died at the age of 94, often said that his 80s had been one of the most enjoyable decades of his life. He felt “not a shrinking but an enlargement of life and perspective” (see: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/opinion/sunday/the-joy-of-old-age-no-kidding.html?_r=0). For Donna Rutherford's show 'Broth', which I saw at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow on Thursday evening as part of the Luminate Festival, Donna video-recorded a series of interviews with men and women in their 80s. She started each interview by simply asking people to tell her how their mothers or fathers used to make soup. Edited excerpts from these interviews provided the main content of the show, interspersed with music by Inge Thomson and Donna's own reflections on ageing, memories and making soup. And throughout the show Donna is making three pans of soup on the stage in front of us – a traditional vegetable broth, lentil soup and fish soup. As the ingredients begin to bubble the smells drift around the theatre evoking our own memories – and hunger! Donna's text has the beauty of a prose poem, but her delivery is so gentle and conversational it disguises the craft that has gone into the words. At the end of the show the audience is invited to taste the soup: we didn't need to be asked twice. Donna said that the audience in Edinburgh had been shy and needed coaxing out of their seats. When she performed the show in Paisley to more than 200 older people they were rather put out that they only got about a thimble-full each. The time we take to consume our soup provides the opportunity for a post-show discussion in which members of the audience comment on the video interviews and share their own reminiscences of family and soup. It's a very clever way to tackle a wide range of aspects of ageing – and the broth was delicious.
Oliver Sacks' grandfather, who died at the age of 94, often said that his 80s had been one of the most enjoyable decades of his life. He felt “not a shrinking but an enlargement of life and perspective” (see: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/opinion/sunday/the-joy-of-old-age-no-kidding.html?_r=0). For Donna Rutherford's show 'Broth', which I saw at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow on Thursday evening as part of the Luminate Festival, Donna video-recorded a series of interviews with men and women in their 80s. She started each interview by simply asking people to tell her how their mothers or fathers used to make soup. Edited excerpts from these interviews provided the main content of the show, interspersed with music by Inge Thomson and Donna's own reflections on ageing, memories and making soup. And throughout the show Donna is making three pans of soup on the stage in front of us – a traditional vegetable broth, lentil soup and fish soup. As the ingredients begin to bubble the smells drift around the theatre evoking our own memories – and hunger! Donna's text has the beauty of a prose poem, but her delivery is so gentle and conversational it disguises the craft that has gone into the words. At the end of the show the audience is invited to taste the soup: we didn't need to be asked twice. Donna said that the audience in Edinburgh had been shy and needed coaxing out of their seats. When she performed the show in Paisley to more than 200 older people they were rather put out that they only got about a thimble-full each. The time we take to consume our soup provides the opportunity for a post-show discussion in which members of the audience comment on the video interviews and share their own reminiscences of family and soup. It's a very clever way to tackle a wide range of aspects of ageing – and the broth was delicious.
'Senior Moments'
23 October 2015
Scotland Street School in Glasgow is a magnificent building designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. It is now a museum that tells the story of education in Scotland from 1872 to the late 20th century, complete with recreations of classrooms from different periods in the history of the school. I was there on Thursday afternoon to see 'Senior Moments', an exhibition of portraits and memories from members of Castlemilk Senior Centre – which is on display as part of the Luminate Festival. This small exhibition features 21 pairs of photographs – individual portraits of members of the Castlemilk Senior Centre today, each coupled with a photograph from their past. Each person wrote down their personal reflections on their two pictures and these words are displayed between the photographs. The project was developed by Dr John Lynn from Glasgow Caledonian University. It's fascinating to see the connections between past and present and how the people, and their lives, have changed. The stories the pictures tell are funny, revealing and poignant. It's a very interesting reflection on ageing.
Scotland Street School in Glasgow is a magnificent building designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. It is now a museum that tells the story of education in Scotland from 1872 to the late 20th century, complete with recreations of classrooms from different periods in the history of the school. I was there on Thursday afternoon to see 'Senior Moments', an exhibition of portraits and memories from members of Castlemilk Senior Centre – which is on display as part of the Luminate Festival. This small exhibition features 21 pairs of photographs – individual portraits of members of the Castlemilk Senior Centre today, each coupled with a photograph from their past. Each person wrote down their personal reflections on their two pictures and these words are displayed between the photographs. The project was developed by Dr John Lynn from Glasgow Caledonian University. It's fascinating to see the connections between past and present and how the people, and their lives, have changed. The stories the pictures tell are funny, revealing and poignant. It's a very interesting reflection on ageing.
'Descent' by Linda Duncan McLaughlin
23 October 2015
On Thursday I was at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh for 'A Play, A Pie and A Pint', the Traverse's series of lunchtime performances of new plays. As each £12 ticket includes food and drink, the majority of the audience arrive early to eat before the show, creating a great atmosphere in the theatre bar. This week's production was 'Descent' by Linda Duncan McLaughlin, presented in association with Luminate, Scotland's Creative Ageing Festival, which explored the reality of dealing with dementia. Like the 2014 film, 'Still Alice', 'Descent' dealt with the onset of dementia curtailing a successful professional career (in this case as an architect). The heartbreaking experience of a wife trying to care for her ever-more-difficult husband felt very real in the close confines of the Traverse 2 studio theatre. One of the effects of really good drama is to make you forget you are watching a play, and I caught myself gasping out loud a couple of times at the more traumatic moments. Wonderfully acted by Barrie Hunter, Wendy Seager and Fiona MacNeil, it was a harrowing experience which really made you think about the process of ageing – one of the key objectives of the Luminate Festival.
On Thursday I was at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh for 'A Play, A Pie and A Pint', the Traverse's series of lunchtime performances of new plays. As each £12 ticket includes food and drink, the majority of the audience arrive early to eat before the show, creating a great atmosphere in the theatre bar. This week's production was 'Descent' by Linda Duncan McLaughlin, presented in association with Luminate, Scotland's Creative Ageing Festival, which explored the reality of dealing with dementia. Like the 2014 film, 'Still Alice', 'Descent' dealt with the onset of dementia curtailing a successful professional career (in this case as an architect). The heartbreaking experience of a wife trying to care for her ever-more-difficult husband felt very real in the close confines of the Traverse 2 studio theatre. One of the effects of really good drama is to make you forget you are watching a play, and I caught myself gasping out loud a couple of times at the more traumatic moments. Wonderfully acted by Barrie Hunter, Wendy Seager and Fiona MacNeil, it was a harrowing experience which really made you think about the process of ageing – one of the key objectives of the Luminate Festival.
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