Powerful art piece explores dementia care in Waterford
Still from Marie Brett's 'Yes But Do You Care'
Acclaimed Irish artist Marie Brett’s film of national significance, 'Yes, But Do You Care?', comes to Waterford on October 27.
The film explores dementia care and human rights through a blend of real-life testimonies, dance, and visual storytelling.
More than 64,000 people are currently living with dementia in Ireland and this figure is expected to rise to over 150,131 by 2045, according to the HSE.
Yes, But Do You Care? responds to ethics around family care-giving and the impact of Ireland’s new capacity legislation.
Imagery includes surreal and tender scenes: a muscle-man bravado in a kitchen, a man spinning wildly in tall grass and dancing under high-rise flats.
The soundtrack mixes tango and waltz rhythms with powerful real-life audio testimonies and legal language, creating a haunting yet humanising experience.
The 2pm GOMA event will include a screening of the film, a dance response by Australian-Irish professional dancer, Kelly Kessing, and a Q&A session with the artist, filmmaker Marie Brett and special guest Sundara O’Higgins, IMMA Curator.
The event forms part of a wider national tour of the work designed to spark vital conversations about care, capacity, humanity, and legislation in Ireland today.
"By combining emotive artistic expression with rigorous legal and social commentary, the event aims to not only engage but challenge its audience to reflect on the systems, policies, and personal experiences shaping care today," a spokesperson said. Speaking about the project, artist Marie Brett said it a privilege to create the works.
“It's a privilege to get to make artwork responding to such personal and life-changing individual experiences," she said.
"The family carers I worked with were so stellar in their bravery, and I'll never forget them describing a silent scream while I was researching Ireland’s new capacity legislation and how it would affect family carers," she added. The GOMA film screening and discussion event is free to attend and everyone is welcome.
'Yes, But Do You Care?' will subsequently be screened from October 28 to 31 in Réalta Centre for Arts and Health at UHW.
