Chelsea Pensioners' Art Features in Exhibition
21st May 2019
As part of Dementia Action Week, the Royal Hospital Chelsea is joining other organisations in Sloane Square in promoting a series of free cultural events, including an art exhibition featuring work by the Chelsea Pensioners.
Running until 28th May, the art exhibition 'Stories of Spring' is being held at local department store Peter Jones, and features creative pieces by residents of both the Royal Hospital Chelsea and Chelsea Court Place, two specialists in dementia care.
The Festival, organised by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Dementia Action Alliance, is the first of its kind in the area. The wide range of events on offer during the week have been specially tailored for people living with dementia and their carers.
In addition, there will also be a high-profile awareness campaign running throughout the week. Scarves featuring forget-me-not flowers, the symbol of the Alzheimer’s Society, have been stitched by community volunteers, including Chelsea Pensioner Helen Andrews. The scarves are adorning the following iconic statues in the boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster throughout Dementia Action Week:
Kensington & Chelsea:
- Venus – Sloane Square
- St Volodymyr the Great – Holland Park
- A Moment of Peril – Leighton House
- Boy with Dolphin – Chelsea Embankment
- Young David – Chelsea Embankment
Westminster:
- Ballerina Young Dancer – Royal Opera House
- Churchill and Roosevelt – New Bond Street
- Nymph Statue – Berkley Square
- Sherlock Holmes – Baker Street
- Charles I – Whitehall
- Mozart – Belgravia
Other highlights of the Festival include a special performance of ‘See Golden Days’ by Opera Prelude's young singers at Cadogan Hall; scriptwriting classes at Royal Court Theatre and the Saatchi Gallery’s screening of a movie about the life of the acclaimed painter, William Scott, RA, whose royalties are donated to the Alzheimer’s Society.
There will also be a ‘Crochet-a-Thon’ at Holy Trinity Church’s Tearoom. Emerging 3D textile artist Laura Collins will display her hand-crocheted pieces based on items in the Museum of Brands. The sculptures play on the theme of reminiscence, with retro items from the 50s and 60s being brought to life in crochet.
All Sloane Square Arts Festival for Dementia events are free of charge. However, a number of events require pre-booking. A full schedule of events can be found online here.
