263 FOURTEEN Narrative representations of the self: encounters with contemporary visual art Andrew Newman and Anna Goulding Introduction How and why older people create narrative identities in response to encounters with contemporary visual art is explored using the results from ‘Contemporary visual art and identity construction – Well-being among older people’, a 28-month study (May 2009-October 2011) that examined the responses of 38 older people who were taken to three contemporary visual art galleries in North East England, UK. Participants visited
This volume and its companion, The New Dynamics of Ageing Volume 1, provide comprehensive multi-disciplinary overviews of the very latest research on ageing. Together they report the outcomes of the most concerted investigation ever undertaken into both the influence shaping the changing nature of ageing and its consequences for individuals and society.
This book concentrates on four major themes: autonomy and independence in later life, biology and ageing, food and nutrition and representation of old age. Each chapter provides a state of the art topic summary as well as reporting the essential research findings from New Dynamics of Ageing research projects. There is a strong emphasis on the practical implications of ageing and how evidence-based policies, practices and new products can produce individual and societal benefits.
This unique book represents the first multi-disciplinary examination of ageing, covering everything from basic cell biology, to social participation in later life, to the representations of old age in the arts and literature.
A comprehensive introductory text about the latest scientific evidence on ageing, the book draws on the pioneering New Dynamics of Ageing Programme, the UK’s largest research programme in ageing. This programme brought together leading academics from across the arts and humanities, social and biological sciences and fields of engineering and medical research, to study how ageing is changing and the ways in which this process can be made more beneficial to both individuals and society.
Comprising individual, local, national and global perspectives, this book will appeal to everyone with an interest in one of the greatest challenges facing the world – our own ageing.
Understanding how creative interventions can help develop social connectivity and resilience for older people is vital in developing a holistic cross-sector approach towards ageing well.
Academics with a wide range of expertise critically reflect on how the built environment, community living, cultural participation, lifelong learning, and artist-led interventions encourage older people to thrive and overcome both challenging life events and the everyday changes associated with ageing.
The book uses a range of approaches, including participatory research methods, to bring the voices of older people themselves to the foreground. It looks at how taking part in creative interventions develops different types of social relationships and fosters resilience.
This volume and its companion, The new dynamics of ageing volume 2, provide comprehensive multi-disciplinary overviews of the very latest research on ageing. It reports the outcomes of the most concerted investigation ever undertaken into both the influence shaping the changing nature of ageing and its consequences for individuals and society.
This book concentrates on three major themes: active ageing, design for ageing well and the relationship between ageing and socio-economic development. Each chapter provides a state of the art topic summary as well as reporting the essential research findings from New Dynamics of Ageing research projects. There is a strong emphasis on the practical implications of ageing and how evidence-based policies, practices and new products can produce individual and societal benefits.
collaboration with the think tank Demos and, towards the end of the chapter, some of the policy proposals arising from this work are set out. The conclusion includes a plea for re-thinking policy based on a re-imagination of current narratives of ageing. Chapter Fourteen continues the representations of ageing theme with a focus on contemporary visual art. Andrew Newman and Anna Goulding explored how and why older people create narrative identities of the self in response to encounters with contemporary visual arts. They found that older people used the encounters
ageing through the arts the opportunity. They were beginning to develop a new narrative of talent and potential. Art galleries and identity Art galleries form an important social institution in modern society. For example, from April 2011 to March 2012, 48.9 per cent of adults (in the UK) visited a museum or gallery (DCMS, 2012, p 19). Older people, particularly those with higher educational qualifications, make a significant audience for shows of avant-garde work shown in contemporary visual art galleries. The ‘Contemporary visual art and identity construction
right. Chapter Fourteen: Narrative representations of the self: encounters with contemporary visual art • Participants created meanings through engaging with contemporary visual artworks that were used for identity maintenance and revision purposes. This could aid transitions in later life such as bereavement, moving into sheltered accommodation and adjusting to declines in health. • Older people introduced to contemporary art increase their knowledge and understanding of contemporary art after only three visits. • Older people already engaged with cultural
). • Promoting Independence and Social Engagement among Older People in Disadvantaged Communities – Michael Murray, Keele University (February 2011).* • Contemporary Visual Art and Identity Construction – Well-being Amongst Older People – Andrew Newman, Newcastle University (October 2011; follow-on funding January 2012 to January 2013). • Transitions in Kitchen Living – Sheila Peace, Open University (November 2011).* • Older People’s Use of Unfamiliar Space – Judith Phillips, University of Wales (April 2010). • Dynamics of Cardiovascular Ageing – Aneta Stefanovska
contemporary visual art problematic. For others, their cultural tastes shaped their personal networks (Lizardo, 2006). How social participation and connectivity influence engagement with art, both in terms of overcoming barriers and decoding the art on display, is discussed below using the results from the ‘Contemporary visual art and identity construction – well-being among older people’ project. As described in more detail in Chapter Four, the project recruited six groups of older people from a variety of backgrounds, including people who had a history of visiting
