Growing Up with Cancer
27 Young People who have had Cancer
This event has concluded
Dates:
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Entry Fee:
Free
Growing Up with Cancer is an innovative project using research and creative practice to understand the experience of having cancer during adolescence and young adulthood. Funded through an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant (LP0883632), it brought together researchers, artists, advocates and clinicians at the Centre for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine at the University of Sydney, the University of Newcastle, the Children’s Hopsital at Westmead and CanTeen.
During 2010 and 2011, 27 young people participated in interviews about the nature and extent of the impact of cancer on the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Of these, 19 collaborated with artist Kris Smith or worked on their own, to produce a self-portrait that represented them and the impact of cancer on their experience of growing up.
“Most young people came with an idea of what they were hoping to create, but weren’t confident that they had the skills to fulfill its promise. This made our collaboration process similar to an architect or designer/client relationship. Through a very practical process of trial and error, participants were able to effectively visualize and give physical form to their ideas. The fact that these artworks are embedded with meaning gives them integrity. A new audience may perceive and understand these meanings or reach new conclusions and gain new insights.” Kris Smith, Project Artist.
“We sincerely hope that you enjoy the exhibition and appreciate the self-portraits presented here. Each artwork presents and individual experience with cancer, displaying them will allow the hopes and dreams, fears and worries of these young people to be better understood.” Peter Orchard CEO, CanTeen Australia.
These beautiful, poignant, strong, funny and thought-provoking images shout at us to pay attention. We acknowledge and celebrate the creative expression of these young people’s experiences of growing up with cancer.
For information about the Growing Up with Cancer project contact: [email protected]
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