After running art workshops for adults with dementia I realised that as a society we have a habit of closing our eyes and ears to the reality of those living with the disease. I aim to challenge the way we perceive the people who live with it, aspiring to inject humanity back into the clinical outline of dementia – to see past the disease itself. Using pressed flowers from the Dundee University Herbarium Collection I have created laser etchings inspired by Dr Alosyius Alzheimer’s initial illustrations of tangles in the brain, the main cause of dementia. I drew parallels between these collections and the disease, both trapped in a moment in time. Altered yet still beautiful. The glitches and tangles in the brain are only part of who these people are. The soul, personality and presence are still there, ever changing and shimmering before us. Disordered, yet still tangible.
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