Creativity, community and connections: Empowering people living with dementia through illustrative practice

Abstract

Run Tomo is a sash relay race with people with dementia and others in their communities. From the North to the South of Japan, people run across the cities meeting others with dementia. Run Tomo actively connects people with dementia across Japan. The project challenges the stigma of dementia, showing what is possible with a diagnosis, both to the participants and the wider communities, making the cities more dementia-friendly and aware. In September and October 2019, Ellie ran with the individuals, inviting them to document their shared experiences by using The Photobook Project model. By selecting themes, participants of Run Tomo took photographs using single-use cameras. Mirroring the movement of the sash, being passed between participants, the cameras captured the smiles, places, movement, weather and challenges they encountered. The project captures the phenomenological experience of place: from the sweaty foreheads, to when hands meet, to the tender moments where people celebrate their athletic achievements. The Photobook Project features in a wider context of Ellie’s research about the role illustration plays in creating new channels of communication, methods of engagement and illumination of narrative for people living with dementia. This article asserts the power of illustration within a socially engaged context, in particular those living with dementia and their carers, making the case for experiential illustration as a tool for empowerment and connection.