段英梅 · Yingmei Duan

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Yingmei in Bluebell Wood Children Hospice

作品其他图片

时间: 12. 07. 2010 – 01. 04. 2011

12. 07. 2010 – 04. 09. 2010, residency at Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, Sheffield, UK

Performance charity project organized by Sarah Champion and Bluebell Wood Children Hospice

Yingmei Duan in cooperation with Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice

During my time at Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice I worked both as an artist and a volunteer.

I have been working as an artist for 20 years, and during that time I have collaborated with many different people on a variety of projects. At this point in time I am particularly interested in developing performance art that can relate to the area of charity.

Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice is a fascinating place and a very worthwhile experience for everyone involved. They offer a place for children with life limiting conditions to come for a period of time and provide both the children and their families with relaxation and fun.

I interacted with people at the hospice on a daily basis but also arranged appointments with different families where I sat down and we chatted about their own life and the life of their child, including themes such as childhood, family holidays etc. During the time I also helped some of them make simple drawings to illustrate their stories.

It was my intention that these sessions allowed people the chance to talk about their feelings and learn about the hopes and fears of their child and hopefully for us each to learn more about each other. If, as I experienced with some children, they were unable to take part in the physical aspects of the collaboration, I tried to get them to participate in other ways. It was important that these sessions were productive and useful therapeutically and to make our time together stimulating to all the senses and fun.

As well as the parents and children I also spent time with the staff. The staff is an important part of the hospice and they have met and experienced the lives of many of the children who have stayed here. So wanted them to have the opportunity to talk about children whom they have built a strong bond with and their experiences.

Observing, helping, talking and researching were all important parts of this project. I also made 24 paintings in cooperation with different families and staff, these became a visual legacy for the Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice. In addition I made two children’s fairy tale books inspired by all the different children I met there.