7. Sisters who are friends

with Carol and Suzy
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There is no better friend than a sister, and Carol and Suzy are sisters who have never been apart. As girls they have grown up together and they have continued to live together as adults.  Their relationship has endured over time and continues to evolve, as now they are growing old together.
Carol and Suzy have been with each other all of their lives and the closeness of their symbiotic relationship is shown in their shared memories and funny stories, the turn of phrase that they both use, as well as the way that they finish off each other's sentences and embellish each other's stories. As sisters they complement and mirror each other in many ways. Today as they cope with various challenging health problems and learn to live with Carol's dementia, their interdependence has grown, defining them both as the carer of the other. When I visited Carol and Suzy at home, they brought out the family photograph album to show me and we reminisced together over several cups of tea. They told stories about their beloved parents and their Jewish family which were fascinating and engaging and I felt very drawn into their world.
As I've got to know them better, through the Remembering Together programme and subsequent visits, I wanted to reflect and celebrate the longevity of their unique relationship in the art work that I was to create for them.
In the art work that I made, I tried to show different periods of their lives and to include details which had come up in the Remembering Together sessions, such as stories about Peter the doll and Carol's unusual Star of David pendant. Also to bring in the present, such as the flat where they have lived most of their lives (which at the time they were thinking of selling), to remind them of it after they move.
I decided to work with the photographs that they had shared with me, bringing in their memories to create a memory based canvas collage. My overall aim was to create a narrative around the photographic material and a visual memory tool which they would enjoy and appreciate in their home now and in the future.

Having an arts, museum and oral history background, I have worked on many memory based projects and exhibitions exploring personal histories, narratives and heritage. I am used to telling stories through objects and images and curating content for exhibitions. Selecting material for this art piece was a similar process, in that it was about making sometimes difficult, but reasoned choices about what content to use in the collage; and trying to ensure that the images could speak to, or represent, the main parts of Carol and Suzy's story, depicting their lives together.
I made several versions of the image. It was challenging to work with someone else's story and memories especially when you know them personally! However once it was completed I realised that I had made the right selection and the picture told the story that I had wanted to convey.
After I had made the art piece, I was nervous about what Carol and Suzy's reaction to it would be. But I needn't have worried! As soon as I presented it to them, I saw that they really thrilled with it!
Carol told me what the art piece meant to her.
 "We absolutely love it!!! Whoever sees it love it too, it's a real talking point. It wouldn't be up in the sitting room if we didn't like it.  I sit over there and look at it regularly, I love the way the pictures are joined with our parents.  When I look at it, it brings back memories and I think about how we have changed."

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​I asked them for their thoughts about the Remembering Together sessions. The sisters agreed in unison: "We didn't know what to expect but we thoroughly enjoyed it! And we were very sad about not going again. They were lovely people, a really nice group of people!" 
And Carol added, "I was worried about how dementia would affect me. Seeing other people at the sessions, living well and coping, was reassuring and made me see the positive side."
I hope the sisters continue to remain positive and remain together as they have been throughout their lives, supporting each other and enjoying their shared memories together.