A Different Kind of Wonderland...
by Alice Tease on 04/28/11
Alice Tease was created in response to my grandmother's battle with Alzheimer's Disease. As I cared for her, I witnessed her battle with the mind-robbing disease. The art I have created was inspired by her, as I found myself drawing parallels between Alzheimer's Disease and Alice's encounter in Wonderland.
The reality of an Alzheimer's patient is not the same reality that you or I live in. Within a matter of seconds, my grandmother could shift between coherence and incoherence. I found myself feeling her world transformed by encroaching nonsense. Familiar settings, and familiar faces, became foreign. Because it is more painful and frustrating to an Alzheimer's patient to just be constantly corrected, I found that it was often more beneficial to my grandmother to 'go along' with her delusions, (within certain parameters, of course.)
The delusions could be very dark, but once in a while, something would occur that was slightly humorous. For example, if she looked in the mirror in shock and insisted that the beautician had died her hair gray and that she was only 20 years old, it was more helpful to say something along the lines of "We'll make sure old Mary Lou puts the correct dye on next time", instead of "Don't you realize that it's natural to have gray hair when you're old?" And she would be appeased for the time being, which was important, because the more anxious an Alzheimer's patients becomes, the more severe the symptoms can escalate. So sometimes, caring for my grandmother felt like we had gone "Through the Looking Glass" or attending a nonsensical "Mad Tea Party."
So, feeling as though I was a guest in "Wonderland," I created pen and ink artwork and then featured my art on AliceTease totes, bags, t-shirts, jewelry, journals, photo albums, and other accessories. To help support the fight for a cure for this heartbreaking disease, 50% of the proceeds is donated to the Alzheimer's Association.
Thanks for taking a peak at our world of nonsense!
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