Louise Snowball, Room #237, is an interactive, multi-sensory installation that draws upon my personal experiences of observing my mother’s decline from dementia. In 2012 my mother, Louise Snowball, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and subsequently admitted to a long-term care facility until her death. During this time, I documented my mother’s experiences through photography to express the emotional impact it had on me. Using auto-ethnographic and research creation methodologies, I began to explore how a three-dimensional practice could build upon this work. My research into The Medical Gaze (Foucault) discusses how the gaze can position the viewer within the installation space. The theory of The Abject (Kristeva) is used to describe how medical environments can cause abjection, and writing on Embodiment (Merleau-Ponty) and research into interactivity in game design and mechanics (Clement) will illustrate how a viewer’s physical interaction with an installation space has the potential to unlock new knowledge.

Keywords: #dementia #alzheimersdisease #installationart #ellensnowball #embodiment #theabject #foucault #themedicalgaze #Kristeva #MerleauPonty #Clement #Kontos #McGilton #Connell #Russell #interactiveart #torontoartist #multisensoryart #roomart #therekaicentres

Artist Website: http://www.ellensnowball.com