A photographer who tried to document the effect of Alzheimer's on a loved one also witnessed how images can awaken beautiful memories.
When photographer and filmmaker Bunshri Chandaria watched her mother-in-law Ramaba fall silent due to dementia, she decided to help "give her a voice" using pictures.
She created Silent Voice, a handmade book published to help raise money for research into Alzheimer’s, and a multimedia installation that will go on display at Burgh House in Hampstead next week.
The Cockfosters-based artist had previously published a book Embracing Life After Cancer in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support in 2010. This followed her own diagnosis in 2006 and depicted lives of South Asian women who had experienced breast cancer.
Explains the inspiration behind Silent Voice in an online video, she said: "My late mother-in-law Ramaba’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s had alarmed and saddened me. She was still the epitome of beauty but a disconnect between her and the world had set in. She could not communicate in a manner people were accustomed to. They did not know how to react or interact with her. She went quiet. I felt a deep need to give her a voice.
"My aim was to break down the barrier between her and how the world saw her. I wanted people to understand how she perceived her new world and for them to be at ease with that. So, I decided to do a photographic book. I wanted to make visible the invisibility of her condition."
Chandaria had a breakthrough when showing her a photo, but not in the way she had envisaged.
She said: "When she was diagnosed, close family and friends had sent Ramaba flowers. She believed [the flowers] had a life too. She wanted to preserve them for as long as possible. I dried some and froze others to photograph them. To me, their beauty mirrored my mother-in-law’s, while the slow-melting ice echoed her fading memory.
"I showed her the image of the frozen flowers, hoping to bring her joy. To my utter surprise she started talking about the backdrop I had used – the table. It evoked sporadic memories about the past. It was a serendipitous moment. Might other personal objects also trigger her memories? This is what the photographs and conversations in Silent Voice reveal – how her treasured items and nature in her familiar surroundings triggered her memories.
"Ramaba would only speak of her transient memories during our one-to-one time together. These were precious snatched moments. Her fractured memories would trigger some of mine. We both loved our conversations and interconnectedness – we giggled and laughed a lot.
"The time constraint of her daily needs had prompted me to photograph spontaneously and intuitively, steering me in a new way: to slow down and breathe, to feel and press the shutter. I learned to be light and playful – to embrace her changing world."
The Silent Voice multimedia installation is part of a group exhibition, Making Visible the Invisible, at the Peggy Jay gallery in Burgh House, Hampstead, from July 11 to 23.
The gallery in New End Square is open from July 11 to 23 on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays from 10am to 4pm. Admission is free.
Find out about Burgh House at: https://www.burghhouse.org.uk/. Chandaria's website is www.bunshri.com
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here