What Next? tells the story of four artists who worked with older people on a project that broke the mould. Their stories are told through the Arts and Ageing Podcast series.
Produced by journalist Ellie O’Byrne, the podcast includes the following episodes:
- Local Know-How with Colette Lewis (two-parter): Working with SIRIUS in Cobh, visual artist Colette Lewis brought together a new community of locals through her ‘Local Know-How’ project to share sustainable methods of living that are now in danger of being lost. She collaborated with Cobh resident Kevin Jones to revive knitting techniques used by fishermen to make and mend their own fishing nets.
- Cultural Lore with Marie Brett (two-parter): Visual artist Marie Brett worked with Cork Midsummer Festival on a project called Cultural Lore – the idea was that knowledge can be lost from our collective consciousness as technological advances replace more traditional manual methods.
- The Wings to Fly with Helga Deasy and Susan McManamon (three episodes): Dancer and choreographer Helga Deasy and musician and choir leader Susan McManamon worked with MusicAlive on two artist residencies at Nazareth House, a nursing home in Mallow, and at Mayfield Men’s Shed.
- The concluding episode feature a critical reflection by Ellie O’Byrne.
What Next? is an outcome of Creative Enquiry – Arts and Older People, a project that creatively explored fresh approaches to arts engagement with older people in 2019, initiated by Cork City Council and funded by The Arts Council Invitation to Collaboration Scheme.