We wanted to share this lovely clay work from one of our bold partners, Louisa, who wrote some beautiful and moving words about the significance and symbolism of windows for her this year in particular.

“We have supported families experiencing window visits and watched the whole range of human emotions play out, from smiles and laughter to emotional meltdowns and impotent rage. All played out in front of large picture windows.

I’ve spent time with residents looking out of their bedroom windows coaxing them to ‘come outside’ and having the honour of being with them in the sunshine as their mood lifts again and we can enjoy just being in that moment.

Decoration of windows has been a feature of this year too. Acetate rainbows, anniversaries, birthdays, rememberence, halloween . . .

I never gave any real thought to this prior to working my clay but windows ‘communicate’ whether it’s the solidarity of the rainbows, candles, green ticks or a RNLI sticker, we convey strong messages through them. Never more so in my lifetime than this past year!

Windows are generally transparent, bring light and fresh air and birdsong to the environment. They are a connection to the wider world and convey reliable information about time, weather conditions etc. All while protecting from outside elements.

I really enjoyed working on my window and although I’ve done collage and claywork before as a crafting activity I feel like I’ve a better understanding of how to use them as a medium for self expression.

There has been a lot of information shared over the course of this project but one of the main things that I’ve taken away from it is that ‘art’ is a powerful tool for communication and that collaborative approaches between residents and staff can only lead to more person centred care planning and delivery of said care.”