THURSDAY, 2 NOVEMBER 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. PHOTOS ATTACHED: PIC ONE: CHRIS KELLY (THAT) AND VANESSA KELLY (SAY SOMETHING DUNDEE) WELCOMING GUESTS AT THE BOTANIC GARDENS.

A Walk with Absent Friends Installation

An installation of work by participants from three Tayside Healthcare Arts Trust programmes opened to the public today (Thursday) at the University of Dundee Botanic Gardens as part of the national ‘To Absent Friends’ festival.

Created in partnership with Say Something Dundee and the University of Dundee Botanic Gardens, this remarkable installation celebrates and remembers those who have died through photography, writing and song. The installation creates a walk that takes place in five locations across the gardens including the Good Grief Garden. Visitors will encounter images and text hung from buildings and plants in an informal way and by accessing the music through their mobile phones. The installation will be available from Thursday, 2 November – Tuesday, 7 November between 10am and 3.30pm, last entrance 3pm.

Tayside Healthcare Arts Trust (THAT) is a charity that works in partnership with NHS Tayside. THAT promotes participation in creative engagement programmes as an important contribution to health and wellbeing for people living with long term health conditions. The three THAT groups that took part are ST/OP, Tayonline Creative Writing group and Perth Vocal Chord.

The ST/OP is an online photography group created during COVID. The group is for participants with long term health conditions and their carers. They meet via zoom once a month with lead artist David P Scott.

The Tayonline Creative Writing Group meet weekly via zoom over three eight week programmes a year. Led by author Sandra Ireland, the group is for participants with long term health conditions across Tayside. They complete themed challenges taking inspiration from poetry and prose alongside visual prompts.

The Perth Vocal Chord is for people with long term conditions. The Singing for Wellbeing Programme was established in 2015. The group is led by singing coach Debra Salem and meet in Perth Concert Hall to sing songs old and new in a friendly, sociable environment alongside staging public performances.

THAT projects co-ordinator Chris Kelly said, “The invitation to collaborate with Say Something Dundee, for this national festival of remembrance has given our groups a great opportunity to engage with new ideas and to put their work in a very public setting. Each group took the spirit of the festival’s theme and included it into their recent body of work. We then devised the best way to share that work within the beautiful surroundings of the Botanic Gardens.”

Say Something Dundee is an organisation that aims to make conversations about death, dying, loss and care easier to initiate and believe people want to do the right thing when someone they know is affected by ill health, death or grief but sometimes don’t know what to say or how best to help. Say Something Dundee look to address these issues and barriers so people can help those who are experiencing dying or grieving.

To Absent Friends is an annual People’s Festival of Storytelling and Remembrance that takes place across Scotland. The festival seeks to remember and celebrate those who have died by telling stories and reminiscing across a variety of creative mediums. It is a chance to revive old traditions and create new ones, an opportunity for us all, in our own unique way, to raise a toast ‘to absent friends’.

Vanessa Kelly, development worker with Say Something Dundee commented, “We were keen to share the message of To Absent Friends in a manner that was interesting but also reflective, where people could quietly consider the messages and references that have been created and find the relevance to their own lives. The Botanic Gardens offers the opportunity of a beautiful and tranquil setting which is very fitting to the festival, particularly with the Good Grief Garden located here as well. Following the installation of the art works creates a wonderful walk around the grounds.”

The University of Dundee Botanic Gardens looks out over the banks of the River Tay and houses a wide range of plant life. The plant collection consists of both indigenous British species and important plants from around the world. The Botanic Garden is committed towards science, conservation and education and welcomes of 80,000 visitors each year. In 2023 they launched the Good Grief Garden and encourage those seeking emotional and spiritual support to gain strength from nature.

For further information please contact Chris Kelly on 01382 835507 or by emailing chris.kelly2@nhs.scot.

Contact:

Lyndsey Daun

NHS Tayside Communications

(01382) 424138