Arts and culture as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease
Opening of the exhibition and presentation of the book Stories of Memories with Þórarunn Eldjárn : September 19, 2013, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
The exhibition "Memory Stories with Þórarn Eldjárn" provides an overview of the results of the first workshop in Iceland within the project Arts and Culture as a Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease . This research focuses on the treatment of Alzheimer's disease without medication and originated from the Memory Reception of the Virgen de la Arrixaca Hospital in Murcia, Spain.
Arts and Culture as a Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease : "Memory Narratives with Þórarinn Eldjárn" was organized by the Association of Enthusiasts and Relatives of Alzheimer's Patients and Other Related Diseases (FAAS) and the Landakot Memorial Reception. The workshop took place in the hall of the National Library and benefited from the collaboration of the renowned writer Þórarinn Eldjárn and 14 students from the drawing department of the Reykjavík School of Fine Arts. It lasted for two weeks: 6 working hours, 90 min. each.
Among the goals of this collaboration was to open the discussion about Alzheimer's disease and examine how narratives of memories could be combined with scientific research and qualitative assessments of Alzheimer's disease, as well as to assess the importance of the emotional system of the person suffering from the disease.
On August 19, 2011, seven Alzheimer's patients from the Landakot Memorial Reception were invited to the National Library along with their families. At this first workshop meeting, the short story, "Hvadefsaga", by Þórarinn Eldjárn was listened to. The author of the story read it with great emotion and took the listeners on a journey through natural places and man's relationship with them. At the end of the reading, the participants picked up the thread and continued the conversation about their relationship with the various mountains. It was hoped that the short story would evoke memories of past events.
During the next workshops at the National Library, the patients told about past events and the students took up their pencils and drew the plot with their drawings around the Mountain, Transportation and the June 17th celebrations. The goal was to capture the essence of the story so that the client could identify with it. The role of the illustrator's paper was to support the client in expressing their experiences and retelling their experiences.
At the last meeting at the National Library, where the patients were now in the role of Þórarinn as storytellers, each one told their memories in the presence of Þórarinn Eldjárn with the help of the drawings, confident that "yes, it was like this!"
Photographs: Bjarni Einarsson and Örn Ingi..
The exhibition runs until November 25th.
More information: http://frasagnirminninganna.blogspot.com.es and http://artandcultureastherapy.blogspot.com.es