practical living
Art is long , life is short
Changing aged care homes one mural at a time .
By Conor Burke
Ars Longa , Vita Brevis has a nice ring
to it . Translated as ‘ art is long , life is short ’, one might interpret this saying as an opinion on the long-lasting qualities of fine art .
It was said to have been uttered by the father of modern medicine , Hippocrates of Kos . However , to the ancient Greeks , the word art in this sense meant craft or technique . It is more likely that Hippocrates meant that it takes a long time to master your craft and you have a short time to use it .
Artist Sharron Tancred ’ s craft is design and she is using her short time to brighten up aged care homes across Queensland . She is bringing smiles to the faces of residents by transforming sterile living spaces into scenic lookouts and pastoral vistas , while drab corridors are transformed into vibrant , living scenes . And she tries to influence the way residents feel about their home with her murals and the psychology of colour .
“ We ’ re all affected by how we feel about specific colours . We might like a colour if it ’ s tinted with white or grey or black because the tonal , let ’ s say , strength of that colour changes ,” Tancred tells Aged Care Insite . “ If you don ’ t like red , well there are reasons [ for that ]. Red is the masculine colour . So , someone may have had a problem with their father in their childhood . And of course , red is all about masculinity and in the negative is about frustration and anger .
“ A love of red is about energy and action and getting things done . So , every colour has got a positive and a negative side to it .
“ The interesting thing when it comes to the people who ’ ve got dementia is that because as a disease it progresses over time , they ’ re not able to see colour quite as well as they did . And it ’ s affected by their vision . So it gradually greys off and yellows off , which is why I need more contrast in their spaces .”
Tancred ’ s work also helps move residents with dementia around the space safely , as her designs offer cues to influence movement .
She subscribes to the Eden Alternative philosophy which is all about deinstitutionalisation of aged care homes . The principles of this philosophy look to care for the human spirit as well as the human body and this can come in many forms . For Tancred it is about the design of an aged care home .
“ For instance , I did a mural for Regis Aged Care down in Brighton , Victoria , years ago . And that ’ s where those gorgeous little huts are on the beach ,” she says .
“ That ’ s a memory cue , and that ’ s all very positive . And to use those huts in a perspective and paint them out over the exit door . So the exit door became one of the change huts with a lock on it .
“ This means residents can say , ‘ Oh , okay I can ’ t get through the fence that ’ s here and I can ’ t go out through the door .’ It ’ s all about psychology .”
A designer and interior decorator with degrees in illustration and qualifications in graphic design and colour psychology , Tancred ’ s work has taken her overseas and back . She ended up working with aged care homes by chance . A fellow mum at her children ’ s school asked her about painting murals and it turned out that mum was a leisure and lifestyle coordinator , and the murals were for Queensland Health ’ s Cooinda House at Kippa-ring , Brisbane . “ I was instantly hooked on how my skills could make a difference for these residents . Additionally , I was inspired by the information given to me on how dementia affects visual-spatial perception . It was fascinating ,” Tancred says .
Tancred ’ s company , Tailored Artworks , and The Mural Shop also design personalised door wraps for residents , so they can find a door designed to match the one that reminds them of childhood , professions , street life and nature .
And although it can be challenging work , Tancred enjoys how different designing a space for overall wellbeing can be to her previous work .
“ To be honest I don ’ t always enjoy being in the dementia facilities . I ’ ve experienced some things over the years with the residents who may be bedridden . I was just stand painting murals in tears ,” Tancred says .
“ It ’ s also a very long day on my feet because you ’ re up and down on ladders and off the floor and lifting buckets . [ It ’ s ] very strenuous work doing murals .
“ Because it solves problems like wayfinding , stress at doors and helps families feel that their loved ones are in a better space and safe , I know that my work is very much appreciated .” ■
Sharron Tancred . Photo : supplied
22 agedcareinsite . com . au