- Running time:
- Tue - Sat, 10am - 8pm
The Art of Keeping Well brings together community artworks exploring experiences of caregiving, memory loss, and ageing well. Developed through a collaboration between artists, community participants, local charities, and Bournemouth University, these creative works encourage audiences to connect more deeply with the lived realities of those caring for loved ones and consider what people need to live well in later life.
It features collaged postcards created through Bournemouth University and Help&Care’s Waiting Well research project on dementia and ageing well, alongside Stay, a painting by local artist Adilson Naueji that illuminates the often-invisible world of family carers, inspired by the Caring and Working research project. The exhibition also showcases Beyond the Lines, a black-and-white portrait series created by members of In Jolly Good Company groups, which challenges us to move beyond the stereotypes and recognise how older people remain connected, relevant, engaged, passionate, creative, and continually learning and growing.
Beyond the Lines:
As older people, we can begin to feel unseen, forgotten, undervalued, in the way, a burden or simply irrelevant. Society turns its gaze away from age, and negative stereotypes abound. Our photos invite you to look beyond and behind the lines on our faces and see that we are still: connected, relevant, purposeful, powerful, passionate, funny, creative and continuing to learn and grow. We are individuals with a future, a rich life story and wisdom to be passed down.
We are all guests at ‘In Jolly Good Company’ groups, we used a portable studio lighting kit, to create black and white digital portraits of each other that capture us in playful, thoughtful and deeply personal moments. Some props or costumes were used to reflect something of our personalities, a chapter from our lives or our humour. Every picture is a conversation between the guest behind the camera and the guest in front of it.
Having a photo taken by a friend, helped us to relax and be our true selves in front of the lens. It is always fascinating and often surprising to see ourselves as others see us, which is so different from what we see in the mirror.
We chose black and white so you can clearly see us, without distraction. The colour, we feel, shines from our personalities.
All Beyond The Lines images were captured during creative workshops run at ‘In Jolly Good Company’ activity sessions, these sessions are for older people in Dorset. In Jolly Good Company is a dementia friendly charity, open to all.
In Jolly Good Company would like to thank all funders, donors and supporters who make our vital work possible. We would particularly like to thank Dorset Council for supporting Beyond The Lines photography project and exhibitions.
