Celebrating creation : therapeutic use of art and design for the elderly.

• Main Author: Lim, Dorothy Ghim Woon.
• Other Authors: School of Art, Design and Media
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: DRNTU::Visual arts and music::General::Social aspects
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/48919
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Pablo Picasso once said, “Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life”. As the world spins faster and faster, modernisation calls for the fast and new, while the old often gets left behind. In Philadelphia, this phenomenon has been likened to old cars being traded for new and becoming a scrap heap. (Offir, 1974) Not only do the elderly face a loss of control in their lives, their sense of self-worth and sense of identity are also slowly slipping away – inevitable effects of aging. My project stems from the simple belief that not only are the elderly part of wonderful creation, they are also blessed with an innate potential to create. Through a series of activities rooted in pattern making, the elderly whom I am working with at St. Luke’s Eldercare are given the opportunity to exercise their creativity, as well as to work their muscles, keeping their minds and bodies alive and active. Tapping into the vast potential of Art and Design, my project aims to explore collaborative possibilities between the elderly and myself as a designer-cum-facilitator; to drive out the gloom and doom in their hearts, and ultimately to bring a breath of fresh air into their lives.