NEWS from Meeting Exhibition and Workshop
Gerard O'Keeffe, Aideen Sullivan and Shane Hegarty meeting organisers. Margaret Garvey and Mary O' Sullivan at the exhibition launch.
News and photographs from the Parkinson's Community Meeting
On Monday, 7th September, the ‘Parkinson’s Community’ meeting took place at the Glucksman Gallery.This event was organised by Dr Shane Hegarty and Professor Aideen Sullivan of the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, UCC, as part of the BRAINTALK project (www.ucc.ie/en/braintalk). The purpose of the meeting was to bring together People with Parkinson's, Parkinson's researchers and clinicians, to create an interconnected Parkinson's Community in Ireland. Over 200 participants, the majority of whom were People with Parkinson’s and their carers, gathered in the Glucksman Gallery for a variety of presentations by Parkinson’s advocacy groups, People with Parkinson’s, therapists, neurologists and neuroscientists.
Move4Parkinsons and Kilkenny Voices of Hope choir raising the roof! Speakers Jon Stamford, John O’Neill, Margaret Mullarney & Brian Magennis
The event began with a session on “Living with Parkinson’s”, which included talks by Margaret Mullarney of Move4Parkinson’s Ireland and Dr Jon Stanford of The Cure Parkinson’s Trust, UK, both of whom are People with Parkinson’s and inspirational patient advocates. This session also included presentations on practical ways to improve daily life for People with Parkinson’s, by a specialist nurse, Brian Magennis, and a speech therapist, Jennifer Grundulis. There was an uplifting performance by two choirs : the Move4Parkinsons choir from Dublin, with the first public recital of their song “Live Your Life”, and the Kilkenny Voices of Hope choir. Both choirs joined together for a moving rendition of “Something Inside So Strong” which brought everyone in the room to their feet.
Neurologists Professor Tim Lynch, Mater Hospital and Dr. Sean O’Sullivan, Cork University Hospital with Professor Aideen Sullivan and Dr Shane Hegarty.
The “Understanding Parkinson’s” session included talks by Ireland’s two leading Parkinson’s neurologists, Professor Tim Lynch of the Mater Hospital, and Dr. Sean O’Sullivan from Cork University Hospital. The final session, “Challenging Parkinson’s”, involved presentations about the latest research on novel therapies and patient-centered research, by Professor Maeve Caldwell of Trinity College Dublin, Professor Aideen Sullivan of UCC and Dr. Denise McGrath from UCD.
Speakers Dr Denise McGrath, Professor Maeve Caldwell and Professor Aideen Sullivan. Action from the Neuroscientists and Parkinson's paired dance.
To conclude the event, several People with Parkinson’s paired up with neuroscientists for a set-dancing session directed by Pat O’Dea. This dance was as a dialogue between those affected by Parkinson’s and those working to develop new therapies, and thus a fitting finale to the day.
John O' Neill gets a lesson from Pat O'Dea. Margaret Mullraney and Pat O'Dea take to the floor.
After the meeting, the ‘Parkinson’s Community’ art exhibition was launched. This includes paintings made by People with Parkinson’s in an ‘Exploring Parkinson’s with Art’ workshop held at the Glucksman Gallery on 28th July, as well as photomicrographs showing the ongoing scientific work by Parkinson’s researchers in the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, UCC. Two additional artworks were made at the event on 7th September : the recital of “Live Your Life” was recorded and exhibited by Fearghal Cunningham as an audio waveform in digital print on tracing paper. The dance by People with Parkinson’s and researchers is exhibited in a digital video by Brid Corcoran, with the movement and interaction within this piece exemplifying the spirit of the meeting.
This exhibiton is in the Glucksman Gallery until Sunday 13th September.
The ‘Parkinson’s Community’ meeting and exhibition and the ‘Exploring Parkinson’s with Art’ workshop were funded by the Irish Research Council’s “New Foundations Award” through the BRAINTALK project, awarded to Dr. Shane Hegarty, Professor Aideen Sullivan and Dr. Gerard O’Keeffe.
Parkinson's Community and Exhibition - more photos
'Exploring Parkinson's with Art' workshop event news
“Exploring Parkinson’s with Art” Workshop at Glucksman Gallery, UCC, 28th July 2015
On Tuesday, 28th July, 22 People with Parkinson’s and some of their family members participated in an “Exploring Parkinson’s with Art” workshop in the Glucksman gallery. This workshop, organised by Professor Aideen Sullivan, Dr Shane Hegarty and Dr Gerard O’Keeffe, was a satelllite event for the forthcoming Parkinson’s Community Meeting and Art Exhibition, which will be held this September in the Glucksman gallery.
Facilitated by Gráinne Ní Chuirrín, an experienced art therapist, participants used a mixture of oils, watercolours and other media to explore and express their experiences of being diagnosed and living with Parkinsons’. Encouraged by the supportive and easy-going environment created in the light-filled and tranquil Glucksman River Room, the participants produced a wonderful array of artworks, despite the majority of them claiming no previous artistic experience. These works will form an important part of the Parkinson’s Community art exhibition to be held in the Glucksman gallery from 7-12th September. The feedback on the event was extremely positive, with patients saying that they found the session calming, relaxing and pleasurable. The overall feeling was of everyone supporting and teaching each other in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. The event was featured on Instagram by the Michael J Fox Foundation, which is dedicated to finding better treatments for Parkinson’s (https://instagram.com/p/5sOxd4JSN2/).
The art exhibiton will be launched at the closure of the Parkinson’s Community meeting on September 7th, and selected artworks will be displayed in the Glucksman gallery for the following week. Both the art workshop and meeting are funded by the Irish Research Council through the BRAINTALK project, which aims to connect researchers, clinicians and people with Parkinson’s disease to create an active Parkinson’s community in Ireland (http://www.ucc.ie/en/braintalk/).
Two additional artworks were made at the event on 7th September : the recital of “Live Your Life” was recorded and exhibited by Fearghal Cunningham as an audio waveform in digital print on tracing paper. The dance by People with Parkinson’s and researchers is exhibited in a digital video by Brid Corcoran, with the movement and interaction within this piece exemplifying the spirit of the meeting.
Videos of Choirs and Set Dancing
Videos of Choirs and Set Dancing
Video excerpts of Choir performances and Set Dancing
There was an uplifting performance by two choirs : the Move4Parkinsons choir from Dublin, with the first public recital of their song “Live Your Life”, and the Kilkenny Voices of Hope choir. Both choirs joined together for a moving rendition of “Something Inside So Strong” which brought everyone in the room to their feet.
After a talk and set dance discussion and lesson from Pat O' Dea, several People with Parkinson’s paired up with neuroscientists for a set-dancing session directed by Pat O’Dea. This dance was as a dialogue between those affected by Parkinson’s and those working to develop new therapies, and thus a fitting finale to the day.