Tony Luciani: A mother and son's photographic journey through dementia
تۆنى لۆچنى: گهشتێکی فۆتۆگرافى دايك و كوڕێك بهناو خهڵهفاندا
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,
گواستييهوه بۆ لاى من
بهمه خزمهتى دهكهم
with memory loss and accepting her age.
قبوڵكردنى تهمهنى خۆى ههبوو.
as comfortable as possible,
بێ، ئاسودهى بكهم.
نيگارم دهكێشا
and see her just ... there.
و بينيم ئهو لهوێیە.
سهردهكهوت،
لهگهڵى گهوره بوو بووم.
لاوازم بينى،
and I needed a break from my painting.
پشوويهك له نيگاركێشانهكهم هەبوو.
I had just bought.
بكهم كه تازه كڕى بووم.
it had all sorts of dials,
ههموو جۆرهكانى مهوج و
كه من دهمهوێ،
facing this large mirror,
ئاوێنه گهورهكهیی
to the only bathroom in the house.
تهنيا تهوالێت بوو له ماڵهكهدا.
"پێويستم به تهوالێته"
"I need to use the washroom."
بهوهيه ئهمه بكهم.
we could do together.
كه بتوانين پێكهوه بيكهين.
mountain village in central Italy,
لهناوهڕاستى ئيتاڵيا لهدايك بووبوو،
مهڕ و ماڵاتيان ههبوو.
her father died of pneumonia,
به هەوکردنی سييهكان مردبوو.
with all the heavy chores.
لهگهڵ ئهو ههموو ئهركه سهختانه.
بهرهنگارى ببنهوه.
سيانزه ساڵيدا
stranger twice her age.
ئهوهنده له خۆى گهورهتر بوو.
and was pushed into adulthood.
هەنگاو بۆ گهورهبوون بنێت.
when she was only 16.
يهكهمين منداڵى بوو.
of a very large sewing department.
گهورهى دوورينى بەرگ.
of immigrant workers,
from translation books.
خۆی فێری وشە دەکرد.
Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish,
پورتوگالى و دانيماركى پراكتيزهى دهكرد.
all around the house.
ئهوانهى دهوروبهرى ماڵهكهى دەزانی.
and determination to succeed
لهسهر سهركهوتن له ههموو ئهو
بيانكات سەرسام بووم.
به كامێرا
with Mom as portrait model.
پۆرترێت مهشقى بههرهى خۆمم دهكرد.
she talked, and I listened.
قسهى دهكرد و من گوێم دهگرت.
and how she was feeling now.
ئێستاش ههستى چۆنه.
كورتخايهنى لهدهستدابوو
her younger years.
گهنجێتى دههاتهوه ياد.
چيرۆكى دهگێڕايهوه.
and I sketched them out.
by acting out the scenarios myself.
سيناريۆكانهوه لهلايهن خۆمهوه.
more about photography.
شت دهربارهى وێنهگرتن فێربووم.
she felt wanted and needed.
داواكراوه و پێويستيان پێيهتى.
له كامێرا نهدهكرد.
came from an old German film I'd seen,
ئهڵمانيهوه هات كه من بينيبووم،
ناوى داس بووت بوو.
looked more like "E.T."
زياتر له ئی تی دهچوو.
thinking it was a total failure,
كردهوه شكستێكى تێروتهسهل بوو،
my particular vision.
ڕوئياى تايبهتى من.
decided to post it online anyway.
لە ئۆنلاين پهخشى بكهم.
سهرنجى بۆ خۆى ڕاكێشا.
زههايمهر و خهڵهفاندا
of frustration and sadness
كه تووشى بووبێت.
I forget what they are?"
لهبيرم دهچێتهوه کە چى بوون؟
I forget what they are?"
لهبيرم دهچنهوه؟
and full-time painter,
نيگاركێشێكى فول تايم،
به خۆمم ههيه.
all the difficulties, we played.
پێكهوه گهمه دهكهين.
به مهسهلهى پيربوونهوه.
"How did I get so old, so fast?"
for my oil paintings.
مۆدێڵى تابلۆ زهيتيهكانمهوه.
قورسهى دروومان،
to the floor in the basement.
and bring my schoolwork with me.
و ئەرکەکانی قوتابخانەشم دەبرد.
in this overstuffed chair.
پڕ له ناوهخنه دادهنيشتم.
and the repetitive stitching sounds
دووبارهبووهى دروومان
ماڵهكهى من گواستيهوه،
in my studio for safekeeping.
جێكرد تا به پارێزراوى بمێنێتهوه.
back to my childhood.
sitting behind me,
لهپشتى منهوه دادهنيشێ،
وێنهی ئەو دهكێشم کاتێک
machine she sewed at
دروومانى لهسهر دهكرد
لهپشتييهوه دانيشتبووم
to keep her busy and thinking.
لێ بكهم سهرقاڵ بێت و بيريش بكاتهوه.
10 pictures a day of anything she wanted.
به دڵى خۆى دە وێنه بچرکێنێت.
in her life before this.
بهدهستييهوه نهگرت بوو.
and talk about our work.
ئيشهكهمان قسهمان دەکرد.
why they were relevant.
پهيوهنديان بهيهكهوه ههيه.
would just bluntly say,
with words or without.
به وشه يان ڕووخسار دەگوت.
hasn't ended with Mom.
لهگهڵ دايه كۆتايى نههات.
living residence,
to be in my house.
ماڵهكهى مندا بمێنێتهوه.
But you know what? That's OK.
وهلێ دهزانن؟ ئهوه ئاساييه.
when she sees me.
زهردهخهنهيهكى گهورهم بۆ دهكات.
or ethical on my part.
بوو لهلايهن منهوه.
the reasons for doing them.
بۆچى وێنه دهگرين.
برازاكهم،
I appreciated and loved them.
كه چهنده خۆشمدهوێن.
and really listening.
كه ئاماده بم و گوێبگرم.
a part of something, anything.
بهشێكن له شتێک، ههر شتێک بێت.
exceptionally profound that's shared --
شتێكى تايبهتى قووڵ بێت
پياسهكردنێکی دوو قۆڵی.
بهوانهوه پهيوهستى.
from everyone, please?
بۆ بكهن ههمووتان، تكايه؟
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