ABSTRACT
The overall aim of the project was to use creative arts therapies and community arts to negotiate and challenge images of ageing and explore their potential contribution to participatory approaches to research in social gerontology. Extensive research showed that the dominant representations of older women within popular culture and medical discourse showed predominantly stereotypes of decline and redundancy. ‘Outrageous Agers’ is a body of photographic and video works, based upon this extensive research and cultural studies’ critiques of how older women are represented and perceived. In forgetting the directorial role of the photographer, recycled notions of what makes a ‘good’ photograph, and the technical limitations of Brownie Box or Instamatic cameras, we are often inclined to give these fading fragments the status of evidence. Alternative photographic and self-reflective work was done during the week between workshop sessions, and for some was also an introduction to using a digital SLR camera.
