by Louise Innes

“Dementia is a syndrome, usually of a chronic or progressive nature, caused by a variety of brain illnesses that affect memory, thinking, behaviour and ability to perform everyday activities beyond what might be expected by normal ageing.” While the dictionary definition defines what dementia is, it does not tell you what it is not, and contrary to the common perception, dementia is not a thief of memories. It does not, in itself, erase memories, they are forever there, trapped most of the time with sufferers sadly losing the power of recall.

Unfortunately dementia has played a large part in my life over the years with four of my father’s siblings having succumbed to the condition, along with my once vivacious, fun loving and much-loved Grandmother on my maternal side currently suffering.

From experience, one of the hardest things for families to accept is observing how dementia leaves the sufferers the same externally, however, perpetually different internally with the fading of a lifetime of precious memories occurring slowly before your eyes.

I note that the Arts, be it poems, music, dance and visual art are all pivotal in facilitating the process of unlocking memories. One example comes from my observations in care homes where the usual blank faces of sufferers, engage with those around them, even for a few brief moments, when they hear a song or a poem. For the observer, it is a pleasure to witness that brief spark in their loved ones. While it may not have an everlasting affect and can never reverse the downward and inevitable spiral of their condition, it may, even for a short, time assist loved ones to understand and empathise with the sufferer in order to facilitate their engagement within their ever changing new world.

During one of my regular visits to my Grandmother, I took one of her old family photo albums with me, which, on reflection, was a subconscious attempt to assist her with the ability to access memories and to keep her spirit alive. It evoked a positive response and we spent a lovely afternoon reminiscing and sharing many happy stories. It was at that point I realised how powerful pictures could be, recalling happy memories and allowing my Grandmother to be transported back to her pre-dementia diagnosis, even if it was only for a few precious moments. That afternoon moved me so much I decided to deepen my research into dementia and to express the horror that is dementia through my art, not only from a family members point of view, however, more importantly from the sufferer’s viewpoint.

Whilst acknowledging that the distressing effects of dementia are undeniably heartbreaking, they afford the artist a plethora of unexplored ideas and possibilities with which to work from. My aim was to produce a body of work to create a platform from which to express and encourage communication and awareness along-with aiming to assist the understanding and acceptance of the torment that is dementia.

My secondary aim was to invite the viewer to become part of the dementia journey, to unnerve them, allowing for an opening into their own personal world of inner contemplation, reflection and understanding. By portraying the horror and progression of dementia, I aimed to create an element of uncertainty and stirring of imagination, causing both confusion and intrigue in equal measures. My work portrays how the horrendous condition of dementia can take a beautiful family photo, a memory and slowly twist and irrevocably contort and confuse it until the memory is barely recognisable. The techniques, materials and processes used represent my experience of the fragility and vulnerability of the sufferer, the loss of their identity, dignity and memory whilst representing the dichotomy of being the same person, yet forever different.