Places in the Heart: Psychogeography and late-life dementia

Within the dominant biomedical discourse, late-life dementia is regarded as a pathological condition characterised by disorientation in time and space.

Tues Nov 9th, 5.15pm, University of Leeds
Speaker: Andrea Capstick
Abstract: Within the dominant biomedical discourse, late-life dementia is regarded as a pathological condition characterised by disorientation in time and space, word finding difficulties and ‘problem behaviours’ such as ‘wandering’ and ‘repetitive questioning’. Once taken out of its biomedical straightjacket, however, dementia emerges as a condition which has much in common with the conscious projects of surrealist and situationist arts movements. This includes the subversion of the idea of time as a linear, uni-directional process. People diagnosed with dementia often state a desire to return to places from the past which no longer exist in physical space, but which remain real as remembered worlds, and sources of nostalgia (literally ‘the pain of returning’). Using public archive images and extracts from first person narratives of people with dementia, my talk explores the potential of psychogeographical concepts such as the flaneur, and the dérive (or ‘drift’) for developing a more socio-historical perspective on the ‘wandering’ of people with dementia in mind, time and space.

Venue: Baines Wing Miall Lecture Theatre 2.34, University of Leeds
Campus map of buildings: click on this link, then launch the interactive campus map, and choose Baines Wing from the list on the right.
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/timetable/assets/map/index.htm
From the main entrance, go straight on past the front desk, then through the doors on the left. Follow the corridor round to the right and then to the left. At the end of the corridor on your right take the lift to the second floor (West) or go up 5 short flights of stairs. The Miall Lecture Theatre (2.34) is straight opposite the lift. Please note: all talks this semester will now be in this room.

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