The bridge to understanding dementia

A new research-led opera exploring the nuances and experiences of living with dementia will be staged in English and Welsh in north Wales.

The one-act operatic exploration, aimed at fostering empathy and reducing stigma around dementia, is led by University of Exeter's research programme Improving the Experience of Dementia and Enhancing Active Life (IDEAL), and is the university's first ever Arts Council of Wales funded project.

Entitled 'Y Bont/The Bridge', the opera seeks to harness music and voice to create a sensory piece that portrays what dementia sounds and feels like. This act builds on IDEAL's previous success with arts-based work including the recent play, then documentary film, 'The World Turned Upside Down'.

Professor Linda Clare, Chartered Psychologist and Fellow of the British Psychological Society, is Chief Investigator of the IDEAL programme. She said: 'Using performance is a powerful way to bring our research findings to life and convey aspects of what it can be like to live with dementia, or support someone with dementia. 

We learn a great deal, too, when audience members share their insightful reflections on what they have seen and heard. It's a huge privilege to have a talented group of artists engaging with our work and translating it to enhance public awareness about dementia."

Clare continued: 'The opera has grown out of our IDEAL programme, a psychology-led interdisciplinary programme looking at the many factors shaping "living well" with dementia and how this knowledge might influence practice. The findings very much highlight the key role of psychological well-being, both for people with dementia themselves and for family carers. 

Involvement of people with dementia and carers is central to the programme, and based on the findings we have co-produced with people with dementia and carers the Living with Dementia Toolkit, which we hope gives people ideas about how to stay connected with those people and activities that are meaningful to them.'

The opera's cast and crew spoke with IDEAL's project involvement group, Action on Living Well: Asking You (ALWAYs), which is made up of people who live with dementia and carers, who provided insights into their unique experiences of living with dementia and its effect on families.

The librettist and director of the opera, Marian Bryfdir said: 'Dementia, by its nature, hinders the expression and communication of innermost anger, grief or even joy and happiness. That was my starting point for Y Bont/The Bridge – to illustrate the frustration experienced by many living with dementia due to a lack of sensitivity, experience and knowledge from those around them.'

As a part of the Arts Council of Wales's 'Create' grant, the IDEAL team is running free community workshops and an innovative photography project as part of their ongoing research into living with dementia. A workshop, entitled 'How can we improve living with dementia?', will be held at each venue on the day of the opera performance.

Ian Smith, a photographer who has worked extensively with people living with dementia and their carers from Dementia Actif Gwynedd, will be documenting the creation of Y Bont/The Bridge and curating a photographic exhibition which showcases relationships and images captured by members of the Caernarfon group. These will be on display at the Ucheldre centre from 28 February to 31 March.

Y Bont/The Bridge will be performed in English at the Ucheldre Centre, Holyhead on 31 March and in Welsh at Pontio Arts and Innovation Centre, Bangor on 1 April. Tickets for the English show can be purchased from Ucheldre Centre's website, and for the Welsh language premiere on Pontio's website.