>October Events / Art & Theatre / Events in Norfolk and Suffolk / Health & Wellbeing September 10, 2013
I’m Not Dead Yet Celebrating the Lives of Older People Larger than life portraits & personal stories
Mon 7 – Fri 25 Oct
FREE EXHIBITION OF ART, FILM AND AUDIO at The Forum & other city centre locations
Giant, two metre high portraits of Norfolk people, who are over the age of 65, will be on display at The Forum and in other public buildings around Norwich throughout October.
I’m Not Dead Yet is a new exhibition celebrating the contributions older people make to society and is timed to coincide with the UK wide Older People’s Day.
The big, bold charcoal and chalk drawings, created by Norfolk based artist Malca Schotten, challenge negative stereotypes about older people.
Malca, who has been working with her sitters in studio sessions throughout the summer, says
“The thing that inspires me is striking up a rapport with somebody. All these people have histories. It’s about making them feel valued and saying this is a real person.”
Young and old working together
Malca’s studio conversations with her sitters have been recorded by young film makers from BBC Voices.
The films can be watched in the Fusion Gallery, inside The Forum, in a FREE show which starts on Mon 7 Oct and runs for two weeks, until Sat 19 Oct.
Support from Age UK Norfolk and Age UK Norwich
The I’m Not Dead Yet project is Arts Council funded and is also supported by Age UK Norfolk, Age UK Norwich and other older people’s organisations across Norfolk.
Age UK Norfolk’s Chief Executive, Hilary MacDonald, says
“The exhibition’s title I’m Not Dead Yet challenges the invisibility and negative stereotypes that people in later life can sometimes encounter. We encourage people of all ages to visit and participate.”
City centre locations
Most of the I’m Not Dead Yet portraits will be on show inside The Forum, but some will be dotted around the city.
The two metre high canvases will be on display at Norwich Theatre Royal, the Assembly House, Norwich Cathedral, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, the Futon Shop and the Book Hive.
Joyce Hopwood, chair of both the Norwich Older People’s Forum and Norfolk Older People’s Strategic Partnership Board.
“As a reluctant sitter, the experience was rewarding for me, and it would be wonderful if at least part of its effect is to enable younger people to start to see us oldies as real people with individual histories and interesting backgrounds to our lives.”
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