A gift of art and a message
Colourful collages: ‘Girawa wedding’ and (below) Annasi twins
‘Girawa wedding’ features two parrots – one in vivid colour and the other an intricate silhouette of white (on a bright red backdrop) facing each other – beak to beak. This and other collages of nature and daily life with equally intriguing names will be exhibited at the Lanka Alzheimer’s Foundation’s upcoming exhibition ‘Remember Me later this month.
Yet the most important feature of the exhibition is not the pretty collages and what they depict – but the hands that made them. Each collage has been made by clients of the Lanka Alzheimer’s Foundation together with artist Sabine Ferber. Sabine, a volunteer at the Lanka Alzheimer’s Foundation activity centre, has been working with those who come to the centre for the past 18 months in order to create this body of work. Their main aim through the exhibition is to raise awareness about dementia and the work of the foundation.
The Lanka Alzheimer’s Foundation is a government-approved charity which offers Sri Lankans living with dementia their services free of charge. Although the foundation’s name only mentions Alzheimer’s (as it’s the most common form of dementia), the services are offered to anyone living with dementia. This includes free screening of people suspected of having dementia, an activity centre where clients can spend a day of entertainment every week and offer family members respite and many other services which improve the standard of life of those living with dementia. The foundation also has a plan of raising awareness to create a dementia friendly country where all citizens are aware of the disease and how they can productively help people living with it.
Sabine Ferber, a German national, has travelled extensively and considers art to be one of her greatest loves. Having learnt everything from gold and silversmithing to mosaic work, she has found this project to be an absolute pleasure. Upon moving to Sri Lanka, she joined the activity centre as a volunteer and helped with the art sessions. Taking the artwork done by the clients, she created a mandala – a collage of the individual paintings etc. The immense encouragement she received for that motivated her to make more collages and now there is a sizeable body of artwork which can be exhibited.
The best part of the project is the purpose it has given the clients. “They love doing it,” she says, describing the excitement of clients who enthusiastically printed or painted within the guidelines provided by Sabine and anxiously asked her if the pictures look alright (always answered with a resounding yes!). The happiness and satisfaction of those who have been included in such a project speak volumes for just how important it is to ensure that people living with dementia are treated with dignity and respect and given a sense of purpose, just like any other individual.
Sabine Ferber: Finding great pleasure in this project. Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
The collages will be for sale at the exhibition and anyone wanting to learn more about dementia can pick up a brochure at the venue or meet the volunteers who will be present. Co-founder and President of the Lanka Alzheimer’s Foundation Lorraine Yu feels it should be emphasized that donor money does not go towards incidental expenses of the exhibition, or any similar event being held by the foundation. Citing the annual Charity Run organized by the foundation (Run to Remember held on September 1), she explained that everything from food and water to the venue was provided free of charge by different individuals and organizations. In this instance, it is the same. “When people come for an event like that because it’s so well organized and we get so much community support, some people can come to the conclusion that we have spent donor money on the food and marquee and T-shirts but everything was donated. The only cost was to transport our banners and placards because we can’t fit that into a car,” she explained.
So head over to the Barefoot Gallery from September 22-30 between 10 a.m to 7 p.m. to admire the beautiful collages and learn more about dementia.
The Lanka Alzheimer’s Foundation is located at 110, Ketawalamulla Lane, Maradana. To access their services or donate, please call their helpline 011-2667080 or visit their website at http://alzlanka.org/.