We acknowledge that this research took place in Vancouver and Burnaby, British Columbia, on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. The art was also created from each of our homes on different ancestral territories across the Lower Mainland. And, we recognize that you, the viewer, may be joining from different territories around the world.
We feel very fortunate to learn, work, play, and create in these spaces and acknowledge those who welcomed us into their space and the peoples whose lands continue to host us, nourish us and sustain us. To find out more about the land you are living and working from, visit https://native-land.ca/.
“Sometimes we don’t even realize how much we know until we give ourselves a chance to write a poem, make a picture, or do something creative. It taps into things in a different way.”
— Susan
I’m a little more accepting of the fact that my life is about to end, and a lot more quickly than what I’d imagined. I need to face up to that, accept it, and make the most of the years I have left. And, it’s helpful to do it with other caring people. Very helpful. I didn’t expect that. I didn’t know that that was going to be a part of it. I’m very grateful for the chance to share my own fears, worries, and concerns with others who are involved here.
- Lester
Gloria Puurveen
Dr. Gloria Puurveen is a postdoctoral research fellow in the W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics at the University of British Columbia. Her research centres on end-of-life person-centred dementia care, the subjective experiences of people with dementia, and personhood and social citizenship. She uses qualitative and arts-based research methodologies, and seeks to cultivate ethical research practice through collaborating with and actively involving people with dementia and their care partners in the whole research process.
Susan Cox
Dr. Susan Cox is an Associate Professor and health researcher in the School of Population and Public Health and the W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics at UBC. Her work focuses on experiences of health and illness and the stories we tell ourselves and others to make sense of these experiences. Susan enjoys many forms of creative expression including poetry and baking and finds much inspiration in her garden high on a hill overlooking the beautiful ancestral lands of the Tsleil-Waututh peoples.
Natasha Damiano
Natasha Damiano is a PhD student in Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of British Columbia, and a Graduate Academic Assistant on the project behind this exhibition. A parent and second-generation Canadian of settler-European heritage, her PhD research explores immigrant children’s embodied experiences of group singing. Passionate about the ‘everyday’ of art and storytelling, she is grateful to have been part of these workshops and for having experienced the community spirit and collective wisdom that participants shared and generated.
