Reframing Dementia was a collaborative audiovisual project between myself and composer, Shona Mackay. The project documented the experiences of people with dementia through photography and sound, culminating in an exhibition at Bank Street Gallery in Kirriemuir, Scotland, in February 2020.
The first stages of the Reframing Dementia project involved a weekly camera club, where I provided guidance on basic camera techniques, encouraging Scott & Chris to explore photography as a means of documenting their day-to-day lives in whichever way they saw fit. Shona created a corresponding sonic element which included sound recordings made from individual conversations with Scott & Chris, focusing on the personal narratives therein.
The final exhibition in Kirriemuir included images taken by Scott & Chris, and portraits taken by Keith, alongside Shona’s soundtrack which highlighted the participants’ personal narrative and journey. Both participants were involved in the curation of their photographs and in the launch of the exhibition.
The project was awarded funding by DSDT (Dementia Services Development Trust), facilitated at Kirrie Connections in Kirriemuir with Professor June Andrews acting as a mentor for us.
