The 100 year life: views of ageing from the inside

When we think about ageing we often approach this from the 'outside' making broad judgements about what it means to be old. But what does ageing look like from the inside and how can older people articulate the experience? This research explores the role of the self-portrait as a means of enabling older people to articulate their experiences of ageing. During a six month period we will work with older people across Australia and the United Kingdom inviting them to create a self-portrait using whatever medium they wish. These will form the basis of an exhibition and seminar series which will interrogate what we truly mean by ageing and what the arts can offer in relation to challenging existing attitudes but also in promoting wellbeing (Luckman 2018). The research outcome and output will be published in a journal and a joint exhibition.

This is a piece of research as part of a larger grant - The 100 year life and future home (8Million research grant from Research England, UK). One strand will be undertaken by Dr Peng in Canberra with a budget of (£2,500.00/5k AUD) and there will be a comparative study in the UK.