Alice Dass: Holding On & Letting Go
 Alice Dass from
the UK has primary progressive MS. Alice is a successful artist.
After being diagnosed with primary progessive MS
Alice found that she was beginning to lose the strength in her hands. To an
artist, this was quite devastating. But, after a few days of panic, Alice
decided to divert her energy into producing a body of work about hands,
using previously untried media like photography, collage and computer
manipulation.
Alice became fascinated by hands, obsessively
photographing her own and those of other people. She discovered that by
enlarging sections of these images several times, they were transformed into
other body parts, some quite sexy, and others almost abstract.
Another theme grew out of her frustration at
dropping and breaking things. Through looking again at the spillages, she saw
that it was possible to find beauty in the mess. This was subsequently
photographed and used as part of a collage.
 Previously a resident artist
at Kew Studio for 8 years, Alice is now a member of Enable Artists, a group of
artists who all happen to have MS. She has exhibited with them in an exhibition
which has toured the UK over the past two years, including Newcastle,
Mansfield, Leamington Spa, Bath and London.
Alice's solo show 'Holding On & Letting Go'
is by no means 'doomy'. There is a nod at despair, but some good jokes too. And
that pretty much sums up Alice's own experience. The show ran though
November/December 2005 at the Theatre Foyer, Watermans in Brentford, Middlesex.
Alice also be facilitated a free practical workshop for children and adults
exploring the importance we place on our hands as part of our individual
identity.
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