Reviews |Son documents father’s struggle with Alzheimer’s in powerful new exhibition

Son documents father’s struggle with Alzheimer’s in powerful new exhibition

Son documents father’s struggle with Alzheimer’s in powerful new exhibition
News

A new exhibition in London offers a powerful insight into how families cope when someone is diagnosed with dementia.

Andipa Gallery, in conjunction with the Alzheimer’s Society, will feature 20 images from fine art photographer Mark Seymour, who documented the last five years of his father’s life following his diagnosis with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Living with Alzheimer’s: A Harmonica for Ronnie, celebrates Seymour’s father’s life and relationship with his family, while at the same time documenting the impact of Ronnie’s illness.

The series begins at home and follows Ronnie into hospital and finally the care home where he spent his final days.
“Dad was my hero, my compass point, my biggest supporter, my role model,” says Mark.
“Taking photographs of Dad was something I had always done and so it was totally natural to continue recording his life through the last years as Dementia took hold.

“It was only as I sat in front of the computer editing the images that I realised the significant change that was happening and that’s when I would shed my tears. I knew that the photographs told the real story of Dementia and I wanted to use these to raise awareness.”

All proceeds raised from the exhibition, which runs from 5 September through 8 October, will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Society. You can also donate via Seymour’s Just Giving page.

For information on times and location, visit the Andipa Gallery website. You can see more of Mark Seymour’s photography on Facebook, Flickr and Instagram, and learn more about the project here.

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