Offentlig konst inom vård- och omsorgsboenden - En undersökning om äldres delaktighet vid val av konst på vård- och omsorgsboenden

Abstract

Since 2013, Gothenburg's Art unit has been given responsibility for all art in the city's nursing homes, they are a part of the public administration. Gothenburg Art describes in an article published in 2014 that, according to their mission, art should simulate and evoke discussion among the elderly. At the same time, the institution faces challenges as nursing homes include dementia wards that impose other complex requirements. Certain varieties of art can arouse anxiety and frightening feelings in its residents. This made us want to investigate how the participation of the elderly looks like in the decision of which art should be placed in nursing homes. To gather material, we have used qualitative methods and interviewed professional decision makers within the city of Gothenburg and nearby municipalities. The analysis of the material has taken place with different theories, partly Michel Foucault's perspective of power and Judith Butler's theory of vulnerability, but we also have the perspective of ageism to understand age in context. This candidate thesis will show that when collecting material, it appears that there is no participation from the elderly when choosing art for the nursing home. It also exposes that it can take years before the art is even being placed.