Public Engagement
Hiroshi Sugimoto: Time Machine
Hayward Gallery
Our Make Sense – Kentish Town Health Centre group recently enjoyed a relaxed viewing of Hiroshi Sugimoto's exhibition at the Hayward Gallery.
Inspired by the success of our relaxed cinema viewings at the Castle Cinema, we've been eager to provide opportunities for older people to engage with art exhibitions, especially as a stimulating activity within our Make Sense programmes. The Southbank Centre invited us to an event at the Hayward Gallery introducing their new access scheme, designed to improve accessibility to their exhibitions. This event allowed us to learn about the scheme's future goals and how the relaxed viewing of the Sugimoto exhibition would operate, ensuring it aligned with the specific needs of our group.
The gallery provided numerous services to make the visit more comfortable. These included a taxi shuttle from a location near the group's starting point, free entry tickets, complimentary refreshments at the cafe, a guided tour of the exhibition, accessible printed materials to aid understanding of the artwork, and an information pack provided in advance to familiarize carers with the gallery space.
The exhibition was designed to be explored at the group's own pace and in any direction they preferred. Additional activities led by artists Georgia Akbar, Takeshi Matsumoto, and Renata Minoldo were offered in various rooms, providing stimulating engagement and deeper insights into specific aspects of Sugimoto's work. Our group particularly enjoyed a workshop with dance movement psychotherapist Takeshi Matsumoto, which involved movement in response to sound and Sugimoto's architectural photography.
This visit was a successful example of how galleries can make their exhibitions more accessible to older people, especially those with cognitive impairment. The Hayward Gallery plans to offer two relaxed viewings per exhibition, which we intend to integrate into our Make Sense programmes regularly. We also plan to organize similar visits to other galleries that offer relaxed viewings or even actively support galleries in establishing such programmes.
This visit has been made possible by Camden Giving.
