Concluding the ‘Where the Arts Belongs’ project, a collaboration between Bluecoat and Belong that put artists into dementia care settings, this new publication is part toolbook and part personal reflection on moments when language breaks down. In this sense, it continues Alan Dunn’s ideas in the ‘Hard To Read’ issue of the Journal of ‘Writing in Creative Practice’ (Ed. Dunn, 2017) and the ‘Conversations LP’ (2022).

Alan Dunn was one of artists involved in ‘Where the Arts Belong’, invited to undertake residencies within Belong villages – extended to online sessions during Covid – and from the beginning Alan focussed on the use of sound. All of his experiences, twists and turns and findings from the project are captured in ‘The Jingle Book’, designed to be uplifting and fun but also recognising the very personal devastation that dementia can bring. 

As one of a selection of artists collaborating on the Jingle Book. I was tasked with proposing innovative activities designed to be colourful and accessible. These activities included non-verbal tongue twisters (outdoor, edible, and physical sculptural versions) and a word search that comes with a sticker sheet. To assist these activities or intrigue the readers there is also a British Sign Language twister as a postcard, one in Braille and one in Pitman’s Shorthand as a badge to extend the fun and thinking beyond the pages, as well as a QR code sticker that links to some of the Chester recordings.

My work focused on mixing British Sign Langue (BSL) and the tongue twister ‘She Sells Seashells’, through photography and my sculpture ‘Stigmata 2.0’. This activity gets people to engage with BSL, attempting the alphabet through fingerspelling ‘She Sells Seashells’ with their hands.

To learn more about the project please visit Alan Dunn’s artist website

External Links:

Alan Dunn’s Website: https://alandunn67.co.uk/jinglebook.html

Jingle Book PDF: https://alandunn67.co.uk/jinglebookfinal.pdf