20012/14 > TRANSPARENT BOUNDARIES

What we wanted to do

Increase the visibility of the Elder through representation in the arts. The community of the Elder is a trans-national and cross-cultural invisible web of connection. The demographic in developed countries is one of an increasing, and increasingly, aging population with many born today who will live to 100 and beyond. Societal attitudes to the elder differ from culture to culture, but in many countries there is an almost total non-representation in the media, except when problems occur.

Transparent Boundaries is about seizing a moment, changing attitudes, providing possibilities - now. This project proposes to make links across cultures and between generations to find ways to increase the visibility of the Elder as a vital force with a cultural contribution and impact to be included and referenced. This is a project of empowerment, which will take micro and macro approaches to create a place and space for dialogue and a new kind of visibility through relationships that function between and across cultures.

What we achieved

Four organisations came together with support from the EU Culture Programme. Leading the project from the UK: University for the Creative Arts, with partners Aalborg University from Denmark, Associazione Marchigiana Attività Teatraliand (AMAT) from Italy, Hellenic Regional Development Centre from Greece. Each has developed a project, with the Elder as the central focus, using textiles, performance and poetry. In the UK the project was about Mapping with a community in Hampshire and a joint dance project with Italy; in Greece the project was about song and poetry with performances by choirs made up of Elders brought together for the project, and also working with a poet to produce poems; in Italy there was a photography project and a performance project with Italian, Greek and UK participants; in Denmark the project focussed on the disappearing fishing industry. A final project in Poland brought together an Italian dancers, an UK textile artist and the Elder from Poland and the UK.

Transparent Boundaries website

Sponsors.png