Give a voice to those who don’t have one, a potential journey we can take together.

It was with great pleasure that I accepted Irene Noto‘s invitation, who’s the new animator of the “Meacci“, the home for the elderly of the Municipality of Santa Croce sull’Arno (PI), to participate in the opening of the exhibition “The voice of things“, which was inaugurated on June 22nd at the Glass Museum in Empoli, on the occasion of the Empoli stop-over, dedicated to “Waiting for Alzheimer Fest“. Both as president of the Council Commission of the “Meacci”, which has promoted, in the years preceding the fateful 2020 – the beginning of the pandemic – the collection of life stories of the elderly, and as delegate, with Caterina Benelli and Sara Calcini of the Free University of the Autobiography of Anghiari (LUA), partner in the European Erasmus+ project “MY LIFE in EUROPE: a new Methodology to insert Your Life IN the EUROPE contest“, coordinated by Carla Sabatini of Nkey srl, I was eager to learn more about this initiative that has in common with MY LIFE in EUROPE the enhancement of fragile elders, narration of self and interpersonal relationships. After reading the presentation of the exhibition on a board at the entrance of the museum and listening to the various speakers, Sara Calcini and I became aware that “The voice of things” is a multiplier event of “For the Record“, a European Erasmus project , started in 2019, managed in Italy by Euridea srl. Following a training course, held by Isabella Tozza of the LUA under the supervision of Caterina Benelli, which was attended by the network of animators and geriatric educators Rsa Chiarugi of Empoli, Il castello of Montelupo Fiorentino, Santa Maria della Misericordia from Montespertoli, Le Vele fromFucecchio, Del Campana Guazzesi from San Miniato, Ciapetti from Castelfiorentino, Meacci from Santa Croce sull’Arno, a museum educator, part of the regional coordination Musei Toscani for Alzheimer and an animator of the Rsa Le Magnolie (Isolotto, Florence), the idea of an autobiographical laboratory came to life, and was then materialized in the exhibition “The voice of things”.

Driven by passion, the animators and educators present at the meeting spoke about their experience with the elderly who, after observing some objects of daily life, lent by the Glass Museum of Empoli and the Ceramic Museum of Montelupo Fiorentino, were stimulated, with specific questions and suggestions, to tell fragments of their life in relation to each object. All the statements were recorded and podcasts were made. The inauguration was also enlivened by the Choir of the Residences for the Elderly (Co.Re) accompanied by maestro Simone Faraoni, who involved those present, including us, in a song. We then visited the exhibition, which turned out to be a journey through objects, voices and suggestions. In addition to the eight objects placed in the various glass displays, the voices of the elderly can be heard through the QR code and, by observing the empty display placed among others, you can choose an object to talk about yourself. The afternoon could only end with us reaching out to some of the animators present to talk about the Project MY LIFE IN EUROPE and to involve them in the testing of the game, which facilitates not only the collection of life stories and the dissemination of autobiographical writing but also the creation of new relationships, favouring transformative processes through encounters with each other. A potential journey to take together.

 

Dott.ssa Grazia Chiarini