‘Bringing in the Everyday’ is the title of two interactive, customisable sculptures, by Art in Site, which have been installed in The Continuing Healthcare Unit, Lambourn Grove as part of its refurbishment to meet new standards of dementia care (completed in April 2016).
A user chooses and arranges objects during a workshop
Both sculptures have been specially designed for people with dementia at the most challenging and complex level of need and they are the result of a series of hands-on, immersive workshops, with staff, users and families all participating.
‘Shelf Work’ - an interactive mantel shelf with interchangeable elements
‘Shelf Work’ is an interactive mantel shelf with interchangeable elements, and ‘Floating Discs’ is a kinetic arrangement of hoops featuring images of local places and points of interest. They feature everyday objects and photographs that can be swapped, handled, and rearranged by anyone visiting the unit, and thus provide a safe and controlled means to personalise the environment. With their bold colours and their ever-changing forms, the sculptures provide both a focal point to the environment, and interactive communication between service users and carers.
‘Floating Discs’ - a kinetic arrangement of hoops featuring images of local places and points of interest
Louisa Williams, Director of Art in Site said "All our projects are built around a principle of working co-creatively with our users and staff, testing out ideas with them, and learning as we go about their needs, and the needs of the community around them. Workshops like these are all about creating an open atmosphere where everyone has permission to voice what’s important to them. For this project we asked: which kinds of objects, colours, textures and images appeal, and why? We took everyone's ideas and observations and built the work from the ground up. The result is something artistically bold: it helps our users and carers to connect, and allows them to personalise their environment – which we know is very important."
Writing about the project at its completion, Louisa remarked: ‘For me, I think pleasure is important, feeling free to explore with the eye, mind and body. This work is interactive and interchangeable and everyone in the community can participate’.
The works were commissioned by Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust in association with Art in Site, 2016
