Art project benefits dementia sufferers and their carers

The Guernsey Alzheimer’s Association teamed up with Guernsey Arts Commission for the creative activity, which was displayed at an exhibition on Friday.

The artwork was printed as a mural at the association's centre at Delancey.

Collage artist Eleanor Atkinson led the project, which involved making mood boards about gardens and picking out key colours and themes.

Everyone painted on large pieces of paper before stencils were used to cut out shapes to turn into collages.

‘Initially we just started cutting magazines and stock photos from the internet to create mood boards to stimulate conversations and memories,’ she said.

‘Creativity does unlock a lot of emotion and has benefits for people’s mental health.’

Leaves, peppers, string, and bubble wrap were used to create textures.

‘Seeing through shapes made it less intimidating for people... all of them were working as a team,’ she added.

‘I think it solidified and made me more passionate about that need to help others.’

Tomatoes, sunflowers, and butterflies were all included in the collages, and Sandra Langlois had enjoyed recalling memories about hedgehogs.

‘I made an initial mood board with hedgehogs – I have hedgehogs in my garden,’ she said.

She was impressed with how everything had come together in the end.

‘It was just so different and we hadn’t done anything like that before. It was a good atmosphere.’

Guernsey Alzheimer’s Association volunteer and bereaved carer Jenny Vizia had portrayed memories of her late husband, who had dementia.

‘It was more the memories bit that sparked my interest,’ she said.

‘It was a fabulous project.’

Her mood board included a photo of her husband and pictures of tomatoes, a link to their family business.

‘[The project] sparked so many memories and conversations.’

Manager Julie Thompson was amazed at how the collage had evolved over the past eight weeks.

‘It’s a fantastic mural for our centre’s wall,’ she said.

‘It has proved that art is really good for people who have dementia and for the carers.’

Guernsey Arts Commission community arts development co-ordinator Jade Kershaw agreed.

‘It has benefits of communication, expression, and it can help link to different memories and areas we might not have thought of in the first place,’ she said.

‘We have been here listening to stories – I was really happy to be a part of it.’