Rosetta Life

Artistic Expression from those with Life-Threatening Illnesses

Rosetta Life is an artist-led organisation enabling people with life-threatening illnesses and their families to explore their experiences through video, photography, drama, poetry, fiction and other art forms. The creative process is a healing process and the program helps the ill work through their pain by allowing them to explore their creative paths. Rosetta life feels that working through the arts enables people facing long-term illness to recover and gives confidence and self-esteem that illness so often takes away. The program works through a wide range of art forms in order to provide the dying and the bereaved with pleasurable and rewarding experiences that are also educational.

This project was set up to give people who are suffering from the social and psycological implications of living with a life-threatening illness the opportunity to attend to some sense of themselves, as well as to strengthen their understanding of their lives by collaborating with artists who use their skills to facilitate creative work that ensures authentic authorship by the individual. Developing such work offers respite from the struggles of managing serious illness, and is often deeply therapeutic, and engaging in a project can help people to regain confidence and self-esteem.

Some people derive huge satisfaction from leaving personal composition for their families. Others find their creative voices for the first time, or simply enjoy learning new skills. The opportunity to author work can be powerful and transforming. It offers people a means to escape their usual and superficial identity as patient: this project helps the patients gain confidence, pride, and gain a sense of accomplishment.

The most satisfying achievement for all involved in the Rosetta Life project has been watching patients at the hospice create work, and showcase their work with immense pride. They invite their friends and families to view their work at Celebration Evenings which are held at the hospice, and holding centre stage—not as patients—but as people with individual stories to tell.

Over the next few years Rosetta Life will enhance ongoing hospice residencies with hospice Extranet. The hospice Extranet, part of the Government's UK Online initiative, will be a network of computer based arts centres with changing exhibitions of work such as video, poetry, fiction, and photography art, all done by the terminally ill and the bereaved patients. Artists will also be working in collaboration with patients to create and place their work in virtual galleries to be placed on the Extranet.

Future goals of Rosetta Life include developing the voices of those affected by life-threatening illnesses—not only the individuals, but their families, their carers and their friends. The future lies in expanding the forums within which patients can meet and discuss their issues, and share their stories as individuals, not just as patients. Its about re-establishing a balance that honours an individuals' ability to care for themselves in many ways whilst enjoying the benefits of traditional medical and holistic care. The future is about developing good business plans that will secure enough funding to enable more people to enjoy working with Rosetta Life.

Quotes

“I never saw myself as a performer - and yet I just loved standing there in front of everyone. I felt so proud!”

“At Rosetta Life we believe that those living with a life threatening illness are often disenfranchised in our society. When faced with a terminal diagnosis people may surrender their careers and lose their sense of purpose. We hope that Rosetta Life enables people to discover a new sense of purpose through creative activity. Often people find their creative voice for the first time and a proud sense of self emerges. This growing community of empowered hospice users can inform medical practitioners and influence current delivery and practice.” — Lucinda Jarrett, Rosetta Life's Artistic Director

Contact details

Filipa Pereira-Stubbs
info@rosettalife.org
01223 723140
Rosetta Life.org

Watch film made by Rosetta Life: www.youtube.com/rosettalive