Artist’s Books & My Lavender Journey
I’m including this collection of books under Artist’s Books as they are my own photographs, my short themed scenarios and stories. The first book, Moments in Lavender was a unique publication, machine printed, on my home printer as part of my Master of Arts in Visual Art. Angela Lorenz (author of Artist’s Books – For Lack of a Better Name – link) writes, ‘… With artist’s books, however, it is generally one individual making all the choices, without the involvement of an editor or publisher. In this sense, they may be likened to independent films. The final product reflects the artistic vision of one person, without imposed constraints connected to marketing or even censorship.’
When I was working in aged care and dementia specific units during the mid 1990’s I used to make artists books for residents. I designed these around an individual’s past work experiences, hobbies or interests. Made as large scrap books with magazine pictures and tactile samples, such as fabric and buttons for someone who had been a dressmaker.
Magazine images however were problematic as the shine can be distracting for a person with Alzheimer’s or other dementia. Additionally I was looking at better images for viewing on television. Advertisements and unexpected loud music or noises could be startling for a person with dementia … and so began my Lavender Journey. In 2005 I started my Post-graduate studies and research into reminiscent non-verbal communication for people with Alzheimer’s disease. Below are a few pages from the original book:
Some of the images in the original prototype book were changed to larger formats, one per page to allow for easier recognition, as seen in the about double page sequence compared to the larger images in the top feature pages.
Over the following years I created 8 themed titles in the Share-Time Pictures activities, based on the Moments in Lavender prototype from my uni research. Recreating the books from ready-to-print (on CD) to small printed format began in 2013. The majority of the images remain the same size but the books are lighter and easier to handle (Printed Book 21x 15.5 cms A5 Size). The advantage of the printable versions is that pages can be replaced if damaged.
All books have short, familiar, visual stories within the theme of the title.
More about my Care Activities: https://artistjudiparkinson.com.au/care-activities/
Some of my other Artist’s Books: https://artistjudiparkinson.com.au/category/artists-books/
Research Dissertation – The Evaluation of Engagement and Response to Images Prepared for People with Alzheimer’s disease (published by Griffith University in 2007 at www.worldcat.org). My MA(Hons)VA Honours Dissertation and Research Report assessment was conducted by lecturers at the Griffith University Faculty of Nursing and Faculty of Psychology at Nathan campus. In 2007 Judi was granted the Master of Arts with Second Class Honours, Division A in Visual Arts from Queensland College of Arts Griffith University.
Alzheimer’s.net USA – A Place for Mom – Article: https://www.alzheimers.net/12-22-14-reminiscence-books-help-alzheimers/
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