An oasis in a concrete jungle – a pop-up exhibition about older people’s experiences and reflections of the Covid-19 pandemic
As part of a ‘skill swap’ opportunity with University of Salford’s Health and Society department our Head of social practice Liz Wewiora has been running a photography project with older adult residents from Salford, capturing their experiences and reflections of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This project is part of the Developing age friendly communities in an emergent post pandemic world research programme. It will provide new insight to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on older people’s social connections and develop evidence-based recommendations on how places can continue to support older people.
Across the UK, older people are reported to have been extremely negatively affected by the disease and restrictions imposed to limit risk. This includes reduced physical activity and, potentially, heightened isolation. However, we do not yet know the full impact of the pandemic on how older people can remain socially connected to the places, space and people where they live.
Local residents are working with photographer in residence and educator Liz Wewiora, with support from MA Socially engaged photography students at the University of Salford and the Age UK team to co-design a collective story via interactive photography sessions.
The project will help develop a collective story and a thematic portfolio from the individual stories of what matters to older people. The findings will form part of the final evaluation report, which will be shared with partner agencies to help find solutions to barriers and issues, to improve access to service provision and help develop better age friendly places for people to grow older.
To coincide with International Day of Older People a selection of the work, co-curated by Liz and the group, is shown at Salford Museum and Art Gallery on Tuesday 3rd October. All welcome!
The research programme, which is funded by the Dunhill Medical Trust and a collaboration between University of Salford, Age UK Salford and Inspiring Communities Together.
Images by the project participants.
