Artwork

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Can you draw a river? by Alice Blackstock with Hertswise dementia members, recycled shirt fabric 3.3m x 2.5m, 2024.

This large textile artwork was woven on a transportable, folding loom to allow participants across three Hertfordshire communities to work collaboratively on one piece. It takes its shape from a sketched response that Alice’s father made during a drawn conversation in the later stages of dementia when he had become non-verbal. The warp and weft of the weave are made from his shirts, which were cut and sewn into 600m of fabric for the project.

Participants worked in a fluid way, choosing which areas to work on, picking colours and bringing their own creative style to the work. You’ll notice that some sections are very neat, while others are more meandering, imprecise and tactile – reflecting the ever-changing nature of rivers in the natural world.

Through collective participation and individual expression, this piece transforms the experience of a single individual into a celebration and a shared voice for people affected by dementia.