Visual aesthetics in dementia1

1. On account of the mental capacity of the people described in this paper, informed consent has been obtained from their closest relatives.

Abstract

Many people with severe dementia use art materials in an untraditional way, or they become involved in exploring, selecting and combining objects that are put in front of them. The author has often found the results to be aesthetically satisfying. In this paper theories of beauty and aesthetics are explored, starting with the concept of ‘form’ and its relation to the artist's unconscious, moving to the core of aesthetic experience in the articulation of unconscious material. Ehrenzweig's (1967) stages of creativity are described and how Schaverien (1992) situates aesthetic experience within the art therapy relationship. This material is linked to a brief description of the areas of the brain associated with seeing, where there may be damage in dementia. Some art therapy sessions with three older people with dementia are described, linking their activities to the concepts described. The author suggests that these clients are indeed searching for something aesthetically satisfying (when they are emotionally able to do so), even though they may be unable to re-integrate what they have achieved. The drive for aesthetic pleasure is seen as an opportunity for art therapists to engage with clients who are in the later stages of dementia.

Keywords:

• Aesthetics
• art therapy
• beauty
• dementia
• found objects
• inarticulate form

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Andrea Gilroy for encouraging me to explore the organising and assembling of objects that I witnessed when working with older people with dementia. I would also like to thank Ruth Jones, Alison Goldsmith, Matt Dolphin and Lindsey Nicholls for pointing me in the direction of the most appropriate literature.

Notes

1. On account of the mental capacity of the people described in this paper, informed consent has been obtained from their closest relatives.