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Lotte Karlsen solo exhibition ‘Sound of Silence’ in New York Next Month

Shimmering Sound of Silence travels across the Atlantic

On Thursday 8 September, Norwegian Artist, Lotte Karlsen will officially open her solo exhibition ‘Sound of Silence’ in West Chelsea Art studios, New York City, as the final installment of an arts programme connecting female artists across the Atlantic.

Highlights:

  • Manchester (UK) based collective, Alexandra Arts, celebrates the final installment of Pankhurst in the Park 2016 arts programme in New York City.
  • The solo show entitled ‘Sound of Silence’ will showcase a glass installation – involving 241 crystals – by Norwegian artist, Lotte Karlsen.
  • The pop-up exhibition will launch on Thursday 8 September 6-8pm at Studio 511,West Chelsea Arts Building, West 26th St. New York, NY, and runs until 24 September.
  • The exhibition will be housed inside a small white cube nestled inside artist Scotto Mycklebust‘s studio – executive producer of the Public Art Squad Project. Visitors will have exclusive access to this private artist studio, which is based in the heart of West Chelsea’s Arts district.
  • In conjunction with the exhibition, on Thursday September 22, a new online-based magazine, called ART 511, will also be launched.
  • Sarah Gavron, director of award-winning 2015 film, Suffragette, was one of several female artists to have taken part in the Pankhurst in the Park programme, which has also involved New York artists collectives Go! Push Pops and Legacy Fatale.

With an exhibition housed inside a white cube entitled Sound of Silence, Lotte Karlsen returns to her specialist medium of glass for what will be her first solo show in New York, to create a site specific work which explores and deals with her relationship to her own mortality.

Lotte Karlsen, Artist, founder of Alexandra Arts and curator of Pankhurst in the Park, commented:

“For this final installment of Pankhurst in the Park 2016 in New York City, Im delighted to have my work showcased in the heart of the west side of Chelsea; NYC premier contemporary-art district.

 ‘Sound of Silence’ is an opportunity for me to return to the beginning of my career and specialist medium – glass – which I feel best reflects the fragility of the subject matter. I felt it was time for me to delve deeper and create work that deals with some of the more difficult and darker aspects of my life but through a medium that quite literally shines a light on the more positive outcomes.

 In my early thirties I had a brush with cancer, which changed the course of my life and outlook on my work, leading me to found Alexandra Arts and develop the work I do within my own community, especially through Pankhurst in the Park.”

Curated by the Manchester-based, artist-led collective, Alexandra Arts, Pankhurst in the Park 2016 is inspired by Alexandra Park – a Victorian Park in Manchester – and it rich historical connection to the Suffrage Movement, whose iconic leader, Emmeline Pankhurst, was born and bred yards from the Park in the neighbouring Moss Side Estate.

This exhibition, Sound of Silence, marks the end of the Pankhurst in the Park 2016 programme, which aims to empower the local communities around Alexandra Park and beyond through engagement with their local environment and social history, and to promote the wealth of talented female artists in Manchester and beyond by providing a platform for their work.

‘Sound of Silence’ represents a collaboration with Lotte Karlsen, West Chelsea artistScotto Mycklebust, and artist and feminist writer Katie Cercone, co-founder of NYC radical artist duo Go! Push Pops. Go! Push Pops were artists in residence for Pankhurst in the Park 2014.

‘Sound of Silence’ will celebrate its opening on Thursday the 8th of September, from 6-8pm, with a public launch and drinks reception. The exhibition is free and open to the public from 8th – 24th September 2016. Opening times are 12-6pm from Tuesday to Saturday, and 6-8pm on Thursdays.  In conjunction with the exhibition, on Thursday the 22nd of September, a new online-based magazine, called ART 511, will also be launched.

For more information, visit: www.alexandra-arts.org.uk.

ENDS

For further information, images and interviews please contact:

Amy Clancy

press@alexandra-arts.org.uk | www.alexandra-arts.org.uk | @AlexArtsMCR   #pankhurstinthepark

 NOTES TO EDITORS

 Lotte Karlsen

Lotte Karlsen FRSA, born 1974 in Hammerfest, Norway is a multidisciplinary artist working fluidly across the boundaries of fine art, social practice, sculpture and craft. Currently living and working in Manchester, UK. Karlsen earned an early degree in glass blowing from the world renowned Kosta Glass School in Sweden’s Crystal Kingdom. Later obtaining an MA in Art as Environment at Manchester Institute for Research and Innovation in Art and Design (MIRIAD), her work in recent years has blurred the lines of conceptualism, artivism and craft. She has exhibited her work in London, Milan, Tokyo, Seoul, Barcelona, Paris, New York and throughout Scandinavia.

http://www.synchronizedliquid.com/#lotte-karlsen

West Chelsea Artist Studios

‘Sound of Silence’ will be exhibited inside a small white cube inside artist Scotto Mycklebust’s studio, which is located in West Chelsea Artist studio complex in New York. The building houses galleries, multiple artists and art dealers, and resides close to the far west side of Chelsea — the city of New York’s premier contemporary-art district — which is home to high-profile spaces including Gagosian Gallery and Gladstone Gallery.

http://westchelseaartists.com/

What’s it like shopping with dementia?

What’s it like shopping with dementia?

Ann Johnson was diagnosed with dementia 10 years ago, when she was 52-years-old.

She said that her short-term memory is “completely gone” which makes “simple things” including shopping more difficult.

Although she experiences problems when she’s shopping, including forgetting the names of fruits and vegetables, Ann said it was important for her to “get out” rather than “sit and sink”.

A new guide has been launched for shops so that they can give better support to customers with dementia. The Alzheimers Society says lots of people with the disease give up on the high street because they aren’t helped enough and that so-called “slow shopping” could help.

This clip is originally from 5 live Breakfast on July 28 2016.

MA DESIGN LAB: The Age Friendly City

MA DESIGN LAB

The Age Friendly City

Introduction
October 2011 saw the launch of a two-year partnership between the MA
Design (Design LAB) programme, based at the Manchester School of Art
Manchester Metropolitan University, and the Valuing Older People Team
VOP) at Public Health Manchester, Manchester City Council.

The aim of the partnership is to develop design ideas and approaches which contribute to the Age Friendly Manchester programme.

The project focuses on students working hands-on in the local community, whilst striving to achieve robust academic standards.
This booklet provides an overview of the initial phases of this partnership
It showcases several projects carried out in Chorlton, Manchester, and sets
out what was done, how, and why.

It documents design challenges and details responses that can be adapted or used by others working in this field
It is written from the perspective of the Design LAB students.
Collaborative, active, material-based design tools are starting to emerge
Direct contact with the community and its environment has been central
throughout. Much of the work has taken place on location. Some instances
have seen the street transformed into the design studio.

Read the full report here:

The_Age_Friendly_City ARTS (1)

Age-friendly Whalley Range and Chorlton Business Charter news

charter-details

 

Dear All,

We  just wanted to share our plans with you about getting local businesses/services/venues involved with the Age-friendly Whalley Range and Chorlton Business Charter – (see below and link) – and to ask for your support in reaching other local businesses/services – as I know you have a good relationship with other local traders in the Wards.

The idea of the Charter is to ensure that businesses and groups take account of older people’s needs
in terms of recognising barriers and addressing them by looking at the wider accessibility of their premises, awareness/care provided by staff and promoting additional services provided – such as home delivery services and loyalty/discount schemes etc.

Obviously insurance issues and customer safety means that not every shop or venue can offer the use of toilet facilities – but many venues will be able to fulfil that criteria anyway: e.g. care homes, health centres,
dentists, social housing providers, mosques, churches, temples and schools etc. – and it will be useful to list venues that do offer the use of toilets – not only for paying customers but for anyone needing to use the facilities.

What the Age-friendly Business Charter will do is to allow businesses/venues who sign up to promote themselves as providing an age-friendly service, to display a postcard in their window or in the premises – and to become part of our website/database list of age-friendly places/services

So a business could provide

  • a seat for an older person who is shopping in the area, (just a fold-up chair to be used on request)
  • the shop would be free of trip hazards,
  • decent lighting and accessibility of products,
  • Accessibility to wheelchair users – or that members of staff would be willing to attend to requests of older people if the shop venue is not accessible etc.

For an older person to recognise that many (or preferably all!) of their local shops have signed up as being ‘age-friendly’ would increase their confidence in getting out of the house to shop locally – even more important for residents living on or close to Withington Road since the demise of the regular 16 bus that took them into Chorlton etc.

(Good news: There are plans in progress as part of Withington Road First Steps to potentially provide a Stagecoach 85a bus service to cover this route following a recent survey:

visit http://withingtonroad.org/to find more!)

Older people are an important and growing consumer group – so it makes sense for local businesses to encourage and support the “shop local” ethos – and becoming part of a recognised initiative that demonstrates a commitment and respect for the needs of older people is a good way to promote local services.

If you would like to sign up to the Charter, please complete the attached draft form adding your business/group name and ticking the criteria you feel you are able to meet. Add Charter to the subject field and return to our email address: agefriendlywhalleyrange@gmail.com and we will be in touch.

Please spread the word to any local traders or businesses operating in the Whalley Range/Chorlton area who you think might be interested in getting involved!

 

 

bannerAFWR_CH Business Charter

 

Building bridges, breaking barriers: Integrated care for older people

Building bridges, breaking barriers looks at how well care for older people is integrated across health and social care, as well as the impact on older people who use services and their families and carers.

Building bridges, breaking barriers: Integrated care for older people
Read the Report here:
20160712b_buildingbridges_report

The review seeks to improve our understanding of how services work together to meet the needs of older people.

What we did

We gathered evidence from a range of sources, undertook site visits and spoke with older people and their carers to understand how integration across services affected their experiences of care. We looked for examples of where care was coordinated effectively and identified barriers that prevent it from working well.

What we found

We found many initiatives aimed at delivering integrated care. We saw some good practice, and in many cases considerable drive from providers and commissioners to improve the way services work together, but we did not find many examples of it working really well. There was considerable variation in the care provided and in the experiences and outcomes for older people.

Across the eight sites we reviewed, our findings related to both how services were working together and the impact this has on older people’s experiences. Looking at how services were working together for older people, we found that:

  • There was widespread commitment to delivering integrated care.
  • There were still many organisational barriers that made it difficult for services to identify older people who were at risk of deterioration or an unplanned emergency admission to hospital.
  • There were examples of joint working in delivering health and social care, but these were often inconsistent, short-term and reliant on partial or temporary funding and goodwill between different providers. They were not a mainstream part of the way in which services were planned or delivered around older people.
  • Monitoring and evaluation was often not carried out locally or was insufficient.
  • The lack of connection between services often resulted in older people and their families or carers needing to take responsibility for navigating complex local services. This could result in people ‘falling through the gaps’ and only being identified in response to a crisis.
  • Older people often had multiple care plans because professionals did not routinely link together and share information.
  • Older people were not routinely involved in decision making about their needs and preferences.
  • Older people and their families or carers did not routinely receive clear information about how their health and social care would be coordinated, in particular if there were changes in their circumstances or if there was an unplanned or emergency admission to hospital.
  • Local leaders achieved integrated person-centred care by working closely across health and social care services to share information, reduce duplicated efforts and use resources more effectively.

Our recommendations

  • Health and social care leaders should develop and agree a shared understanding and definition of what integrated care means for the population in their local area, and then work towards delivering this shared aim.
  • NHS England and Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) should lead on developing an agreed methodology and data set for identifying people at risk of admission to secondary care or deterioration.
  • Older people should be meaningfully involved in making informed decisions about their care needs and care planning – in particular about the outcomes that are important to them – based on the existing national and local guidance.
  • Commissioners and providers in an area should ensure that information and support for older people and their families or carers is available, and this sets out connections between services, and how the people’s accessibility needs will be met.
  • The National Quality Board, in partnership with the National Information Board, develop and share a set of validated data metrics and outcomes measures for integrated care with person-centred outcomes at the heart of decision making about service provision and based on a consistent, shared view and definition of integration.

Aspects of Ageing

Wythenshawe stories inspire new play

Real-life stories from Manchester grandparents have been the inspiration behind a new play making its premiere, as part of Greater Manchester Fringe Festival 2016.

Aspects of Ageing, by Marie Greenhalgh, will be performed by the Captain Leg Theatre Company, at the King Arms, Salford, 28-30 July.

The play is about enduring relationships, brave, strong, pioneering and innovative young women and the integration of prisoners of war into local communities.

It also observes the present day relationships of cousins Samuel and Olivia. Finding a space to be alone, as a funeral reception is in full swing down stairs, they search through their great granddad’s personal effects and find a diary.

Former policewoman Marie, 61, who works with Wythenshawe Good Neighbours, said: “In my job I work with older people. We give them volunteer companionship and they tell us loads of stories.

“Some of them are heartbreaking. Some are hilarious and some are like walking history. There were too many to ignore so I made it into a play. Now we have several stories channeled into five characters. We take it from the end of the Second World War, right up to present day.

“There are many aspects to ageing and once youre heard a story you see that person in a different light. It started as monologues. Those monologues became a story, which Ive made it into a continuous flow, so the audience can see a friendship that blossoms and a love story.

“Ive written quite a few plays but they have been one-off dramas and this is the first time Ive done something like this. So we are open to feedback.

Read more: http://greater-manchester-fringe.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/wythenshawe-stories-inspire-new-play.html?platform=hootsuite&m=1

Buy tickets: https://www.ticketea.co.uk/tickets-theatre-aspects-of-ageing/

Age Friendly Hulme and Moss Side Partnership Public Forum

Age Friendly Hulme and Moss Side Partnership Public Forum

Date & Time of Event: 

29 July, 2016 – 11:00 to 14:00
Venue:
Brooks Building, Manchester Metropolitan University, 53 Bonsall Street, Manchester, M15 6GX

Come along to learn more about the partnership and how you can get involved at this public forum event.

Everyone is welcome to attend and there will be fun activities and information about Age Friendly activities in your area.

If you would like to attend, host a stall or run an activity on the day, contact Emily or Matt of Manchester Age Friendly Neighbourhoods – the team who are supporting the partnership:
Emily Crompton, 0161 247 5960 / 0797 397 3184, email: e.crompton@mmu.ac.uk
Matt Youngson 0161 247 5960 / 0797 397 3185, email: m.youngson@mmu.ac.uk

For further information, visit: www2.mmu.ac.uk/birley/events/detail/index.php?id=5035

The first Red Extreme heat warning issued

For the first time temperatures of 40°C have been forecast in the UK and the Met Office has issued the first ever Red warning for exceptional heat.

Exceptional heat is expected to affect a large part of England early next week, with temperatures likely in the high 30s C in some places and perhaps even reaching 40°C.

 

10 top tips to help you keep cool and healthy

Although we all look forward to some sunshine over the summer months, it worth remembering that when the temperature goes up it can present health risks – especially for older people. Age UK has 10 tips to help you enjoy the sun but stay healthy at the same time.

The importance of staying cool and keeping well in hot weather cannot be over-estimated, as older people can be particularly susceptible to heat-related illness.

Heat stroke is a life-threatening condition and can develop if heat exhaustion is left untreated. All of us, neighbours, family and friends should provide whatever support we can for older people, particularly those living alone.

Age UK offers a range of free information and advice designed to help older people live well during the summer months and protect themselves when the temperature soars. Here are Age UK top tips staying cool and well in the warmer weather:

1. Stay inside during the hottest time of the day – late morning to mid-afternoon. If you do go out use sunscreen of factor 15 or above, wear a hat and stay in the shade if possible.

2. When inside, try to keep your house cool. Keep curtains and blinds closed in rooms that catch the sun.

3. Avoid or limit strenuous activities like housework and gardening – try to do these activities when it cooler in the early morning or evening.

4. When travelling always carry a bottle of water and drink lots of fluid even if you aren’t thirsty. Limit drinks with caffeine and avoid alcohol as it can make dehydration worse.

5. Watch what you eat. Follow these tips to help you eat well during the warmer months:

  • Eat normally but try to have more cold foods, particularly salads and fruits as they contain a lot of water
  • Also be careful when eating outside. Whilst al fresco dining can be one of the best things about summer, hot weather causes bacteria to multiply quickly and increases our risk of food poisoning. Avoid this by bringing chilled food home quickly from the shops and putting it straight in the fridge when you get home, making sure you don’t have food sitting in the sun for long periods, and storing it in the fridge when you can
  • Be careful when barbequing. We all enjoy a barbeque in the sun, but it actually a riskier way to cook meat. Before eating meat such as chicken, pork, burgers, sausages and kebabs from a barbeque make sure it piping hot and cooked all the way through, with no pink meat inside. There is no need to wash raw meat before cooking it and always wash your hands after touching it.

6. Choose the right clothes. It may sound obvious, but light-coloured, loose cotton clothing can help you stay cool in the heat. Dark colours absorb the light and can make you feel even warmer.

7. Think about your feet. Allowing your feet to breathe is important when the weather is hot so wearing open toe sandals is an excellent way to stop your feet getting sweaty and smelly. Avoid flip flops, which can be hard to walk in and opt for sandals which support your feet. Sandals that fasten with Velcro or adjustable straps are a good idea if your feet swell up in the heat.

8. Cool off with cold water. Remember to take nice cool baths or showers. Try splashing your face with cold water or placing a cool damp cloth on the back of your neck.

9. Check for weather forecasts and temperature warnings on TV, radio and online at www.metoffice.gov.uk

10. If you live alone, ask a relative or friend to visit or phone to check that you are not having difficulties during periods of extreme heat. It’s important to be aware of friends and neighbours during a heat wave and to let people know if you are on your own and have any concerns. Heat stroke is a life-threatening condition and can develop if heat exhaustion is left untreated.

Older People’s Charter and Challenge

Older Peoples Charter

Older People’s Charter and Challenge

The Charter

This charter reinforces the existing rights of all older people in Manchester to live in an age-friendly city.  We have a diverse population, and the charter recognises the diversity of older people.  This includes gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion and disability.  The charter recognises the diverse roles that older people have in the city and all that they bring. We encourage all major organisations in the city to adopt it. It will be embedded through action.

Value
Older people have the right to be treated with dignity and respect and to be free to live a life that has meaning and purpose. Their contribution is a significant economic and social asset to the city. Older people work in the city with all generations to make it a better place.

Independence
Older people have the right to decide where they live, how they live and with whom they live. They have the right to access services and travel around their city without hindrance or barriers.

Information
Older people have the right to information, advice and guidance that is up to date, appropriate and relevant, in a range of formats.

Health & Wellbeing
Older people have the right to lead a healthy and proactive life wherever they live, with access to social and creative opportunities.  They have the right to access health and wellbeing services and to be fully involved in later-life decisions.

Decision Making & Voice
Older people have the right to choice and control and to meaningfully influence the decision-making processes that affect their lives. They have the right to be engaged in shaping all aspects of life, including involvement in the design and delivery of the services that are provided to support them.

Safety, Security & Justice
Older people have the right to be taken seriously when they are afraid. When they need the law to protect them, they should not be treated differently because they are older.

We have a specially designed version of the Charter that can be printed and displayed on your wall.

Download a printable copy of the Charter

To support our Charter, please make a pledge.

Make a pledge now