about CATALYST

In 1998 as part of a two year project Catalyst undertook to produce a pack of playing cards titled CHANCE. As in previous years the images centre on art and science and show the diversity of work within the group. We invited children from local schools, The City of Portsmouth Boys School, The City of Portsmouth Girls School and Midhurst Grammar School to create images depicting the Kings, Queens and Jacks respectively.
 
The culmination of the project was displayed in our 1999 exhibition appropriately entitled On The Cards. The money to produce the cards was raised by the membership, through private donations, local businesses and with a grant from the Welcome Trust. The playing cards are available from Catalyst, price £9.95 inclusive of (UK) postage and packing. The cards are displayed on the Playing Card Project page and our address is on the Contact Us page.
 
As part of the Millennium celebration we each created 10 unique original pieces of work for inclusion in 10 individual boxed sets. These sets will be used as a tool to promote the group and act as a touring exhibition.
 

We are working towards 2007 with a project called:-
Remember me: A Journey into Alzheimer’s disease by artists & scientists [working title]. This proposal is the intro for 2007 exhibition.
 
Concept
The interaction and communication between individuals with differing perceptions and experiences of Alzheimer’s [e.g. artists with scientists, carers, psychologists, clinicians etc]. This has three main aspects.

• Firstly, a possible process of change undergone by the artists, and the other members of the group because of their interaction; this may involve their change in perception of the disease, disease process, aging or the human condition in general.
• Secondly, the collation and communication, by the group, of their change to others; this may involve workshops, weblink, video, dairy etc.
• Thirdly [which may happen more than once ] the communication and interaction of groups on a larger scale. This may involve a website, exposition. Festival. Workshop etc in which there is interaction between the groups and others not involved in the process so far, or who have worked alone [e.g. artists, public].

The Groups
A series of journeys by pairs or small groups of artists [e.g. fine art etc, music, theatre] with one or more of the following: dementia sufferers, clinicians, scientists, psychologists, carers etc.
At the outset, each group will decide what question[s] they would like to answer or what aspects of the disease they wish to explore. They decide how often they will meet [Once? Weekly? Monthly?]. Then each meeting is in some way recorded. This may be by e.g. writing, video, pictures, output. At either an endpoint, or at various stages, the ‘journal’ or material should be collated in order to provide insight into progression of ideas.
 
The Outcome
The coming together of new ideas which will lead to workshops etc presenting novel, informative and even hopeful views of the human condition as exemplified by Alzheimer’s disease. Plugged into this may be projects involving science or art either directly or obliquely connected with Alzheimer’s disease.