Co-creating Meaningful Spaces: Stepping into VirtualWorlds Crafed by People Living with Dementia

This paper presents a unique artistic endeavour that aims to foster an understanding of the profound impact of space, place, and human connection through the lens of individuals living with dementia. Our work involved a fve-week co-creation process, comprising twenty sessions, where forty-four participants collaborated with artists to craft four physical boxes representing "Meaningful Places." These boxes were then transformed into immersive Virtual Reality (VR) environments, inviting the participants to engage with their creations in an entirely new way. The art installation during the DIS 2023 Art exhibition features the VR experience alongside the physical boxes our workshop participants created. With this, we invite viewers to step into the worlds imagined and crafted by those living with dementia, but also explore them, in a celebration of the unique perspectives and experiences of those who made them. Besides the main artists, this work would not have been possible without the contribution of: Bright Shadow workshop participants Morgan Hanna - Bright Shadow Project Coordinator Caroline Millar - Facilitator (Writer - Lead Facilitator) Chloe Chierico - Facilitator (Model Maker) Jamie McCarthy - Facilitator (Musician and Sound Designer) Chee Siang Ang - Research Project Supervisor