Tony Luciani: A mother and son's photographic journey through dementia
Tony Luciani: Matka a syn na fotografické pouti s demencí
Tony Luciani picked up a camera in 2014 to document his aging mom's struggle with dementia, beginning a four-year-long voyage of discovery. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
moved in with me,
Elia nastěhovala,
že jí tím prokazuji službu.
with memory loss and accepting her age.
s pamětí a přijetím svého věku.
as comfortable as possible,
jak jen to šlo,
and see her just ... there.
a prostě ji tam... uviděl.
se kterou jsem vyrůstal.
and I needed a break from my painting.
potřeboval od malování odpočinout.
I had just bought.
který jsem zrovna koupil.
it had all sorts of dials,
měl plno všelijakých ovladačů,
které jsem chtěl nastudovat,
facing this large mirror,
před velké zrcadlo
to the only bathroom in the house.
do jediné koupelny v domě.
"I need to use the washroom."
„Potřebovala bych do koupelny.“
we could do together.
kterou jsme mohli dělat spolu.
mountain village in central Italy,
v horské vesničce ve střední Itálii,
her father died of pneumonia,
její otec zemřel na zápal plic
with all the heavy chores.
zanechal své ženě a dvěma dcerám.
stranger twice her age.
který byl 2 krát starší.
and was pushed into adulthood.
when she was only 16.
of a very large sewing department.
velmi velkého šicího oddělení.
of immigrant workers,
from translation books.
Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish,
španělštinu, portugalštinu, dánštinu,
all around the house.
všude, kde se doma dalo.
and determination to succeed
with Mom as portrait model.
s mámou jako modelkou.
she talked, and I listened.
a já jsem poslouchal.
and how she was feeling now.
když byla malá a jak se cítí dnes.
her younger years.
si ještě vzpomínala.
and I sketched them out.
by acting out the scenarios myself.
a přehrával jsem jí svoje scénáře.
more about photography.
a já jsem se učil fotografovat.
she felt wanted and needed.
že ji někdo chce a potřebuje.
came from an old German film I'd seen,
ze starého německého filmu
looked more like "E.T."
spíš jako E.T. mimozemšťan.
thinking it was a total failure,
myslel jsem, že se totálně nepovedl,
my particular vision.
moji konkrétní představu.
decided to post it online anyway.
jen tak pro zábavu, publikovat online.
of frustration and sadness
u každého, koho se týká.
které bych chtěla říct,
I forget what they are?"
zapomenu, co to bylo.“
které bych chtěla říct,
I forget what they are?"
zapomenu, co to bylo.“
and full-time painter,
i malířem na plný úvazek,
all the difficulties, we played.
těmi těžkostmi, hráli jsme si.
"How did I get so old, so fast?"
že jsem tak rychle zestárla?“
for my oil paintings.
pro moje olejomalby.
jako dítě vídal mámu,
to the floor in the basement.
and bring my schoolwork with me.
dolů po schodech s domácími úkoly.
in this overstuffed chair.
bohatě polstrovaném křesle.
and the repetitive stitching sounds
in my studio for safekeeping.
ve studiu, kde jsem ho opatroval.
back to my childhood.
role obrátily, máma sedí za mnou
sitting behind me,
machine she sewed at
na kterém šila,
to keep her busy and thinking.
aby stále něco dělala a přemýšlela.
10 pictures a day of anything she wanted.
vyfotila aspoň 10 snímků denně.
in her life before this.
and talk about our work.
a povídali si o své práci.
why they were relevant.
proč jsou důležité.
would just bluntly say,
with words or without.
ať už ho vyřkla nebo ne.
hasn't ended with Mom.
living residence,
to be in my house.
But you know what? That's OK.
Ale víte co? To je v pohodě.
when she sees me.
se její tvář rozzáří úsměvem.
or ethical on my part.
the reasons for doing them.
všichni náhle odešli.
I appreciated and loved them.
a jak moc je miluji.
and really listening.
a doopravdy naslouchat.
a part of something, anything.
něčeho součástí, čehokoliv.
exceptionally profound that's shared --
výjimečně hlubokomyslného –
from everyone, please?
všichni usmát a zamávat mi?
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Tony Luciani - ArtistTony Luciani picked up a camera in 2014 to document his aging mom's struggle with dementia, beginning a four-year-long voyage of discovery.
Why you should listen
Tony Luciani picked up a camera in 2014 to document his aging mom's struggle with dementia, and it was the imaginative expression of the collaboration that propelled his work internationally. After more than 40 years as a full-time painter, Luciani garnered worldwide attention with this four-year-long photography series. Their voyage of discovery, expressing the benefits of inclusion and participation within a creative medium, has gone beyond the boundaries of recognizing it as just a personal visual diary.
Luciani graduated from Toronto's Ontario College of Art in 1977 with prestigious honors. At age 21, he was encouraged to continue with his fifth-year post-graduate study in Florence, Italy. It was there that he found maturity while carefully observing the historical paintings of the Renaissance Masters. Upon returning, he was promptly accepted for representation by a well-respected and established Canadian art gallery.
In defining his work, Luciani prefers to be placed in a tradition of realism, which is both interpretive and characterized by focused observation. As a photographer, he likes defining his imagery as an "obvious extension" to what he already creates as an artist.
Luciani's art can be found in private, public and corporate collections globally. An unabridged edition of one-hundred photographs titled "MAMMA, In the Meantime" is in the collection of the local chapter of the Canadian Alzheimer Society. He is represented by Loch Gallery in Toronto, Winnipeg and Calgary.
Tony Luciani | Speaker | TED.com