PROJECTS | Mysite 1

ZIE JE MIJ?
DO YOU SEE ME?

Mary Webster, Fransje Smit, Odensehuis Wageningen

This six month, cultural participation project 'Do you see me?' took place at the Odensehuis in Wageningen.The Odensehuis is a meeting place for people with memory problems and dementia and their care and support givers.

I work each week at the Odensehuis both as a volunteer and as an art teacher. Theproject evolved from a recognition of the role discussion plays in art sessions as well as how a more organic, process based approach to creating art can help those with memory loss.

Each person worked step by step on a layered portrait. The groups were small and benefitted from the years of experience Fransje and I have built up. The sessions provided an inclusive environment where all participants were encouraged to have open and constructive conversations; these were both personal in nature, as well as about life and art in general. They created moments of sharing that were both stimulating and moving. The portraits represent a moment in the maker's time and each one reflects the individuality of the maker.

It was valuable for the team members of Odensehuis, and the care givers to work together creatively. People got to know each other in new ways and also gained new insights into dementia.

A public exhibition of the 65 portraits served as place of celebration as well as a moment when dementia, uniqueness and diversity in society were made visable. It stimulated discussions around the principal that every person counts; something very dear to my heart.

BLUE

Mary Webster, Franje Smit, Petra Sips

This project began during the Summer of Culture in Wageningen in 2023.

Over 170 people of all ages and nationalities responded to the colour blue in a workshop in the Grote Kerk in Wageningen. People mixed blue, named their blue and wrote down their associations with the colour.

Since then I have been responding creatively to those colours and texts.

UITEWARDEN

This project was made in response to daily walks in the local area.

'Walking is the exact balance of spirit and humility.'

Gary Snyder

This series of mixed media collage and painting were made in response to the colour and energy I encountered when out walking. They follow the changing seasons and are a reminder of my relationship with the area.

WOMAN

This group of works uses mixed media and a layered, intuitive approach to create the art work. The process is about letting go and allowing the image to emerge.

IMPRINT

This project explores our connections with each other and what it is to be a migrant.

The faces are of people I know. Some of them are still present in my life, others played an important part in my life but are left behind. These meetings and leavings are a part of my way of life. All the encounters carry both a richness and an emotional toll. The work expresses those feelings. The closed eyes represent the duality of presence and absence. These people are part of me and will always be. Their imprint is indelible.

The second phase of the work is the imprint of the faces in sand. The photographing of these creates the optical illusion that the faces are prominent instead of hollow. This dual perspective reflects the duality of bonding and leaving behind. The sand is an illusion to the ‘sands of time’; that we are all part of the cycle of life; fragile. Our value in life is marked by our legacy, the imprint we leave behind. In time the pressed images also disappear.