Over six workshops, I companioned a group of elderly to inquire into what is it like to grow old. Participants’ ages ranged from 60 to 80, majority were grandparents or great-grandparents, and female. The workshops created space for them to inwardly reconnect with their bodies and outwardly reflect on how they could be with others.
Different arts modalities were used to represent participants’ knowing. Through art-making, they joined the dots of what resonated with them into something they could see, feel and touch. Participants reminisced about their past and paused to reflect on the person they have become; they made meaning of the paths they took and honoured the people who shaped their lives. Along the way, I learnt from the participants that growing old is about connecting the threads which have brought me to where I am, appreciating the present and recognising I have the capacity to discover new things, albeit slowly.
