Forget-me-not

Sculpture designed and fabricated by artist Karen MacDougall

Created as part of the Remembering Eden project with Penrith and Eden Museum

Caption - Image of sculpture described in text.

Our unknown woman is both friendly and frightening, described as intimidating by some.

She represents everyone touched by Dementia, which can strike anyone in a devastating

way as memories are forgotten and fall away with sufferers hanging tightly onto strands -

mere fragments of memory lost, unravelling...........loosely fragmenting as the flowers start

to peel away. Subjects covered in flowers have been portrayed throughout the history of

art, as they accept their fates and die.

Caption - Image of the top half of the sculpture showing names of participants.

Here the memories are symbolised by the many names of individual participants. They

wrote their names and dates of birth on the wrapping used for the head, arms and hands.

Not everyone involved in the workshops added their names, but 165 were on the tape

when the sculpture was assembled. The forget-me-nots were each made from merino wool

fibres by a different individual, who learned how to make them when they attended

reminiscence workshops.

Participants came from:

Age UK Appleby

Christian Head Care Home Kirkby Stephen

Penrith Hospital Art Group

Croft Avenue Care Home Penrith

Winters Park Care Home Penrith

2nd Penrith Scouts

Caption - Image of hands holding blue wool fibres.

Caption - Image of participant holding finished felt forget-me-not

"Throughout Covid 19 I have lived with Forget-me-not in my studio and I will never forget the

pandemic - having chat with her every day"

Karen MacDougall 15th September 2020