Old people are often perceived as alien or different, somehow unreachable – they are ‘other people’. Despite an expressed wish from many – old and young – for more intergenerational mixing, it seems as if the generational gap persists. I was trying to capture some of this in the image. This image evolved from many […]
My current project is a self-designed, socially-engaged art project, called 'Age in the Frame', which grew out of work I'd been doing on age and ageing in the studio, and has now been running for a fascinating 12 months. See details in News and Posts to hear the recorded views of some of the participants, and see some of the early experimental work exploring the subject. A series of more developed images are now emerging.
Paper is both fragile and robust; it allows for colouring, layers, accretions, excavation; it can be ephemeral or solid; stiff or sagging, it rustles, creaks, peels, tears; it’s enduring and ubiquitous; it can be demanding, frustrating, delightful and affirming. Not much different to the human spirit. And the introduction of spray-paint adds another dimension to its character. It couldn't be a more suitable medium for the series 'Age in the Frame'.