The Attune Research Project (2022-2023)
The Attune Research Project (2022-2026) involves academic researchers from Oxford University and Falmouth University delivering a 4-year programme which combines both artistic and scientific methods to explore the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in children and young people.
Brett was commissioned at the initial stages of the project (2022-2023) to create a series of photography workshops to enable young people from Cornwall to explore and express their concerns around their mental health.
Brett’s aims for the Attune project was to give young people the time and space to think about their mental health and express themselves through images and words and document it within a notebook. Brett states, “It is not just about making work but about being together, understanding one another and trusting each other.”
Brett intuitively re-created each of the participants notebooks on InDesign to produce a series of photo zines not only for the young people themselves to self-reflect, but also to be used as a tool to reach out to others as well as inform healthcare professionals. Therefore, creating a platform to generate supportive words of wisdom to those that are also struggling, but also words of protest from the young people for those who need to hear.
Horses Warped on an Altering Canvas (2019)
‘Horses Warped on an Altering Canvas’ is a ‘moving’ portrait of a young woman engaging in an everyday ritual of ‘mirror checking’, which is a common symptom associated with Body Dysmorphia (BDD).
The psychological intent behind the piece aims to bring together the subject and the viewer: we watch from behind the mirror whilst the subject looks into it, not knowing we are there.
Whilst the duration of the work gradually exposes the tension that builds up internally within the subject, the silence enables us to study the subject in a contemplative way. The subject is completely absorbed by her reflection, a reflection, we the viewer cannot see, as the mirror only captures her own perception of reality….horse like shapes moving in and around her face.
Arteffact Research Project (2012)
The following film was a result of a six-month commission to document ‘Arteffact’: Culture and creativity for better mental health project. Arteffact is an art project held at various museums in North Wales for adults who suffer with mild to moderate stress, depression or anxiety.
The film reflects upon the artists & participant’s experiences during the project and captures the main intentions of ‘Arteffact”: to regain confidence, enjoy learning new skills, discover artefacts and meeting other people with shared experiences.
The Bereavement Room Project (2010)
‘The Bereavement Room’ project was part of the final year of a two-year residency based at Ysbyty Gwynedd, North Wales.
The bereavement room is a space where relatives wait to meet with the specialist nurse and, at times, view the body of their loved one. It is a space where detail in the environment can make all the difference to one’s mood and, if a positive environment is created, it could contribute toward an accepting and healing process at a difficult time.
A collaborative project was initiated between Brett and the Bereavement and Donation Specialist Nurse Abi Roberts bringing together a combination of expertise and knowledge within both artistic and reflective roles which resulted in a sensitive and cohesive body of work.
The images were taken at various beauty spots where Roberts regularly visited for reflection and felt the need for them to be permanently exhibited in the bereavement room at Ysbyty Gwynedd.
Moving on Project (2010)
The ‘Moving on’ project was part of the final year of a two-year residency based at Ysbyty Gwynedd, North Wales. Whilst working on the photography workshops at the Hergest Unit during the first year of the residency, Brett noticed how quickly the group would change from week to week as in-patients left acute care and returned home, returning to their community. Brett would often wonder how each patient managed with life after hospital care, how they felt about dealing with their illness within their own environment, their daily personal goals, and exploring the places where they would feel most comfortable and at ease with themselves.
Brett worked closely with two outpatients in their community to create two pieces of work that deals with life in a ‘bi-polar world’. The following two films take the viewer on a journey through very personal and engaging internal and external landscapes, combining dialogue with imagery that allows the words space for contemplation.
SenseCam Project (2010)
The ‘SenseCam’ Project was part of the final year of a two year residency based at Ysbyty Gwynedd, North Wales. The project involved working closely with Professor Linda Clare, (School of Psychology, University of Bangor) on a project that involved working with the research material captured by the Microsoft ‘SenseCam’.
Brett states: “Photographs taken with the ‘SenseCam’ are objective facts, moments that are captured but are not thought about in the same way as with other cameras. Memories on the other hand are selective, at times blurred and intensively subjective.”
Whilst viewing the footage Brett was drawn to the images that were more abstract, more aesthetic and ambiguous and decided to create two pieces of work in response to the images.
SenseCam 1 uses the more abstract imagery as a metaphor that shows the deterioration of the cells and neurons in the brain affected by Alzheimer’s disease, emerged in the interior sounds of the body to intensify and draw the viewer into the work.
SenseCam 2 is more about the experience of managing Alzheimers, on a day to day basis, from the perspective of a loving couple. The viewer is taken on a journey through subdued dreamlike imagery penetrated by clear, determined, yet gentle words.
Hergest Adult Mental Health Unit Project (2009)
‘Hergest Adult Mental Health Unit: Photography Project’ was part of the first year of a two year residency at Ysbyty Gwynedd, North Wales. The project involved Brett creating photography workshops for in-patients giving guidance on camera techniques and ways of visually responding to an environment. The workshops enabled the patient to feel confident when using the camera and to express themselves independently and creatively through image making.
The Memory Clinic films (2009)
‘The Memory Clinic’ project was part of the first year of a two year residency based at Ysbyty Gwynedd, North Wales. The project involved working intuitively with three out-patients and family members in their own homes and Glyn Menai Dementia Care Centre. Brett’s aim was to document the subjects daily routine, recording conversations and everyday sounds to intertwine with photographs from the past and present-day viewpoints from each participant’s environment.
Brett states: “My role as a filmmaker was to raise awareness of how ‘memory loss’ impacts upon the individual by encouraging the viewer to emotionally connect with the subjects and identify with them on a more intimate and engaging level.”
Eric’s Story:
The main dialogue within the film comes from Eric’s daughters, their stories carry us through a life of a man that saw the best in everyone, who bought up four children on his own and eventually fell in love again in his later years, but at time when he was showing the first signs of dementia.
Eurwen & Jim’s Story:
The film shows the dynamics in a relationship that has dramatically changed following Eurwen’s brain aneurysm. Jim has now become a carer due to Eurwen’s memory loss. The piece shows their well-traveled life in the Air force, it reflects upon their journey together up until the present day where Jim explains how he deals with Eurwen’s diagnosis.
Lost for Words:
Miriam’s story reflects on how her present environment has affected her at a very transitional time. Following her second stroke her living conditions changed dramatically, from owning her own home on a small holding to being partly dependent in a rented house. The film captures Miriam’s frustrations with her memory loss but also her creative ability as a writer and a poet with future aspirations of buying her own house and having the inspiration to write again.
Conversations with Myself (2008)
‘Conversations with Myself’ revolves around the psychological tension that someone with obsessive-compulsive (OCD) creates in and around the physical space around them. At first glance, it seems like a ‘fly on the wall’ documentary, it is very telling in the way the piece unfolds. However, the voice-over disrupts the realism of the work and pushes it into a more profound area of representation by portraying the subject in a more conscious and intriguing way. The poignancy of the work is the fusion between the tension of the inner voice and the rhythm of the physical movements of the subject whilst moving around within their ‘own’ reality. A reality that does not exist for the majority of those outside it, looking in.
The High Life (2007)
‘The High Life’ was commissioned by Community at Heart based in Barton Hill, Bristol. Brett initiated workshops with the residents of Ashmead House to inspire and develop a photographic project that would reflect the participant’s response to living in a high rise flat. The final outcome was a visual journey that would start from the outside and then lead the viewer closer and closer to Ashmead House, in and around the interiors and then out again from various viewpoints from the flats.
2Gether 4Ever (2004)
‘2Gether 4Ever: 24 Sexual Moments’ was Sponsored by Lilly ICOS, a campaign to promote the sexual rights of older people. The commission explored the fine line between social and unsocial behaviour whilst looking at personal moments and emotions from a ‘behind the scenes’ perspective. Brett states: “After making ‘The Myth of Sexual Loss’, which was a personal piece of work I had to challenge myself and completely change my visual approach due to the commercial intentions of the project.”
The Myth of Sexual Loss (2003)
‘The Myth of Sexual Loss’ investigates the problem of the sexuality of the ageing body. Brett states: “I’ve tried to approach the subject sensitively, intimately; I wanted to achieve the creation of an aesthetic that doesn’t pull in the direction of sensation and which respects the integrality and privacy of those portrayed.”
In spite of the fact that the society in which we live is ever more open, sex and age are still taboo subjects, pushed to the very backs of our minds. When we reach a certain age, we become numbered among the list of ‘asexual’ beings. Love and sex are activities that are mental as well as physical, which is why they remain a healthy alternative, and even an important part of life in old age as well as in youth.
The idea for the project emerged when Brett was working as a nurse caring for the elderly, and realized whilst talking to her patients that intimacy and sensuality are very personal and individual matters. Brett states: “We all have our passions and desires, which stay with us until death. As a nurse, I had the opportunity to mix with people aged from sixty to ninety. This experience provided invaluable research, it enabled me to see what the later years of life look like. It prepared me, as a photographer, to throw down the visual gauntlet to the myths that accompany sex and the elderly.”
The visual structure of each image creates an integral element in the reading of the work. Using a tight frame the subjects are made to become more intense, yet calm, and at some points disorientating to the viewer. Therefore, the onlooker is intrigued by the significance that the image presents, and then subjected to the implications of the outer margins that each piece considers.
Changes: Memory Palette Project (2003)
‘Changes: Memory Palette’ was Co-ordinated by NESA: North East Somerset Arts. The commission involved working with elderly participants in their own homes working on ideas surrounding memory and identity within photographic representation. Brett states: “Photographs enable us to remember a special person, a favorite place, or a time of happiness. My starting point was to look through such photographs that would give the participant a sense of self-esteem and self-worth. As the memories unfolded I would then take the chosen imagery a step further and produce artwork combining the past with the present within a single image.”
Waiting Rooms (2001)
‘Waiting Rooms’ was a result of a four month commission for Assembly: A Contemporary Visual Arts Festival based in Bath, in collaboration with Statement Media Arts, the Royal Photographic Society and Bath Area Network for Artists.
‘Waiting Rooms’ main emphasis was to focus on the actual concept of waiting within health centre waiting rooms. The body of work reflects upon the relationship between the length of time waiting and the actual thoughts that ferment in the patient’s mind caused by agitation, anxiousness and the awkwardness of making eye contact with other patients. The approach is one of empathy, sensitivity and humor.
Better Safe than “Sorry” (1998)
‘Better Safe than “Sorry”’ is a photographic documentation of safe houses for women & children suffering from domestic violence and it’s aftermath. As a photographer Brett felt concerned about the lack of visual representation within this area and the system that protects and encourages women to regain their independence and move on.
The various moods within the images are composed by the subject’s anxieties and interaction with their transitional home. A home that is institutionalized, full of rules and regulations….but this time it is there to protect them. The incorporation of quieter images break up the tension within in the body of work, generating a pace for the viewer to fully comprehend the way in which a small, but crucial part of the system works for these women…it allows them the time to consider alternatives for themselves and their children in a secure environment.
Self Imprisonment (1997)
‘Self Imprisonment’ talks about life’s places through the pathology of those who fear those places, sufferers of agoraphobia.
The work visually explore the life from the perspective of a woman who watches her life disintegrate in a welter of invective and mental abuse. The series goes beyond the documentary, and fixes on objects whose normality is overwhelmed by the phobic’s terror, and which become menacing symbols of the enormity of the outdoors.