Generations in Harmony
A design project that takes a stand against ageism
Join in!
It would kill me if, 5000 years from now, during an excavation by a future human race they’d find that we suddenly stopped communicating with our elders and that most of us died alone. Studies show that seniors perceive themselves as being increasingly lonely. It has also been proven to be connected to how they are treated by caregivers or perceive themselves be treated by caregivers (Socialstyrelsen 2016, “Vad äldre tycker om äldrevården”). In my mind it’s obvious that we, as a society, need to work on our respect for seniors,“many of the challenges we face today are unfixable and that the only way to overcome them is by changing our values, beliefs, attitudes and behavior”(Dunne&Raby, Speculative Everything, p 2). Scroll down to read more about the project and how to get involved.
The Generations Choir
When I first set out deep diving into these questions I had a very specific perspective, namely that of loneliness amongst elderly. Loneliness amongst the elderly is a health hazard and is a consequence of the socialistic family politics during the 70s, the ultimate solution to every ones right to provide for one self and be completely independent of one another. This policy made it possible for women to work, while elderly found themselves comfortably living in homes adapted to their needs and kids got dropped of to daycare from the age of 1. Since, this well greased machine has gotten some cracks. The seniors today have a life expectancy far exceeding the generations that have passed before them, and due to the baby booms of the 40s and 50s the seniors today are many, a Swedish politician once referred to this situation as “a meat mountain” a term stemming from the European agriculture industry that literally means “overproduction of meat that there is no market for”. In the same time the Swedish municipalities have reduced the number of elderly homes and depend on the seniors to “want to stay att home as long as possible” and the families surrounding them to help out in every way they can. Sons and daughters all over the country struggle with feelings of shame and guilt over not having the time to facilitate the needs of their parents. Elderly everywhere struggle with problems tied to loneliness and a society that just does not see the worth of having them around. As much as 10% of the Swedes thinks that people over 70 are a burden to society, the number is surprisingly high seen as the very first and most important thing to teach your kids is the respect of others. And that is why my project concerns everybody.
For this particular exploration I have decided to work with the human voice. The voice does sound different depending of the age of the person and it’s one of the last things that we cannot alter in order to seem younger. The voice is also the perfect metaphor for a manifestation and to give an issue a voice. That is how I became interested in the human voice and it’s development over the years, and whether we can make something with these differences for the sake of art and as a stand against ageism. I have a collection of human voices, together they can form a choir, I call it the Generations Choir. This choir has become an interactive installation that will be part of this years Spring exhibition at Konstfack!
I have for some time had an urge to understand what made us separate ourselves from people not in our own age group. Some of us almost never spend time with people one generation younger or two generations older than ourselves and vice versa. This proved to be complicated and have to do with the fight for individual freedom that we cherish so deeply in this part of the world. And that is why my project concerns everybody from new to wise.
Enter The Generations choir. Join in.
Each generation has it’s own voice. Equal without judgment, together agains ageism.
It’s interplay, consonance or dissonance. You decide.
This is a place where you compose harmonies and interactions, or co-compose if you are more than one.
It’s an experience for the body and the mind.
Make a sweeping movement with your arm,
or stab the air.
Use your whole body.
Stand still in one spot and reach out, up or down
Sit down, reflect with body and soul.
Lay on the floor, cover as much space as possible.
Run around.
Dance, create your own rhythm,
slowly sway.
Hold hands, reach further.
Hear the voices of The Generations choir.
Wordless but present.
Ageism is all around us but seldom spoken of, a quiet issue, now given a voice.
This project aims to give space to reflect upon your own actions and standpoint.