What is Wedding Reminiscence, and how did it come to be?
Wedding Reminiscence emerged from many hours of working on Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today (RYCT), a creative reminiscence art project for people living with dementia and their caregivers. RYCT has been running for over 25 years, with Pam Schweitzer and the European Reminiscence Network being central to its development. The project is designed for groups of people living with dementia and their caregivers, and uses drama, music and other art forms to help participants reminisce on their lives. Sessions take place over a number of weeks and involve themes, such as school days, work, weddings, and travel. Attending these sessions has been shown to strengthen existing relationships and help new ones to form.
I first became involved with RYCT after enrolling in 1 of their apprenticeships. This training scheme focused on facilitating reminiscence arts in dementia care. After completing the apprenticeship, I began considering how my skills as a filmmaker could contribute to the project.
While several excellent films have been made about RYCT, most offer overviews of the sessions. They do not capture what it feels like to be in the room, as participants’ memories are revealed and celebrated through creativity. This is what my film aims to depict.
After discussions with RYCT participants and staff, it was agreed that I, along with another cameraperson, would film 1 session in its entirety and then screen it the following week for the participants. This resulted in Food Reminiscence. Just under a year later, I followed the same process with a different group and a new theme, leading to Wedding Reminiscence.
What initially inspired you to grapple with dementia?
Before studying film at university, I worked as a care assistant in a dementia care home for over a year. Many people viewed the role negatively, seeing dementia care as inherently sad. While there were certainly difficult moments, I also witnessed a great deal of positivity, something I wished others could see.
This experience ignited a passion for sharing the experiences of those living with dementia and their caregivers, and I considered how best to make a film about these experiences. The RYCT program offered a built-in story and structure.
I am currently developing a third and final RYCT film, depicting a different themed session with new participants. (Filming is planned for the spring, with release online later this year or in 2027.) My enthusiasm for this work continues in a final ongoing project of a short film with a nature-based dementia care group, using many things I have learned from filmmaking with RYCT.
How has working on dementia-related art changed you?
Creating this project has taught me a lot about film as a means of recognition.
Each RYCT session begins with a verbal recap of the previous one, led by an apprentice or volunteer. During these, participants’ positive contributions are acknowledged, reinforcing identity and confidence. This is especially important for people living with dementia and their caregivers, as research shows these individuals often experience low confidence and mood.
My films replaced this verbal recap, so I focused the edits on participants’ strengths, such as their skills as speakers or dancers. Volunteering on the project before filming helped greatly in this regard: By getting to know each participant, I could identify moments that reflected their unique qualities.
This outlined approach fits into a wider goal of mine, which is to use filmmaking as something personal and affirming for those involved.
How has Wedding Reminiscence been received?
The screening for participants led to a lot of excitement, applause and laughter, allowing for the positive moments of the session to be revisited. Compared with the reception for Food Reminiscence, more lively reactions resulted from Wedding Reminiscence, possibly due to the more performative nature of the wedding session.
One participant did comment on the film’s lack of instructiveness in teaching an outside audience about reminiscence arts. In this regard, perhaps the film cannot serve dual purposes of being both for participants and for outside audiences. A further challenge was time: the session schedule and broader project left little space for structured feedback, a flaw in the process that I’ll be correcting for my third RYCT film.
I would like the film to teach audiences about reminiscence work and show the variety of ways memories can be surfaced. And through capturing the experiences of the participants and the team members, I hope to inspire others to try reminiscence work.
Find more from Barney Gibbons on YouTube and Instagram. Also, learn more about the Remembering Yesterday, Caring Today program via Instagram and the website.
