Kuluri u Tifkiriet brings together art, collective memory and Gestalt therapy, to provide a multisensory opportunity for connection and healing. Throughout the project, human identity will be explored as a “sensorium” that incorporates touch, visualization, smell and movement throughout the artistic journey. Through the application of an arts-based approach to therapeutic work, participants will explore memories and emotions as a way of strengthening relationships, and inviting a sense of community into residential settings.

The project is addressed to the experiences of patients diagnosed with dementia and their carers, supporting all participants to more fully acknowledge and embody their living relationships through creativity in a therapeutic setting.

Research is clear in the centrality of trust-filled and ethically safeguarded relationships in the sustainable wellbeing of individuals, particularly those experiencing the vulnerabilities that come with a diagnosis of dementia. For this reason, the project responds to the targeted needs of stakeholders by proposing “bridges of collective memory” that promote safe, respectful, and emotionally rich spaces for residents with dementia and their carers and those in the community.