Last Stop

Stephen Shaws projects documented viruses in society through different people suffering from dementia/Alzheimer’s and their long term effects as a war on the human body. Stephen started the project through exploring viral disease and it’s stifling effects in society particularly how Dementia/ Alzheimer’s, has risen because of this. Shaw was researching to raise questions about how and why certain diseases are more prominent in contemporary society in our era, and, how society acts within their constraints, particularly alongside important matters such as global warming and population control. This is a personal documentary following the lives of two groups of people which were close to Stephen. A man called Fred who was moved to a care home and a woman called Margaret who lived with her son. They have both been in terminal decline with said Dementia/ Alzheimer’s respectively. Fred was committed due to his worsening state and Margaret was looked after by her son and palliative care nurses. Stephens project called Last Stop was based in a care home with Fred and a residential home with supporting palliative care with Margaret and her late son Steve who cared for her. Margaret’s son sadly passed away in a tragic accident falling down the stairs, leaving his mother on her own in a care home. Shaw self published his photo book one year before this. The whole project took on a foreboding changing of context after Margaret’s sons passing giving the images a fresh uncanny feeling around their symbolism. Shaw would like to fund and exhibit these prints within a gallery exhibition including sound interactive images sealed in airtight containers. He would hope to treat them with outside contaminates that would slowly alter the image but not destroy it straight away and reveal a second hidden image which mutates over time offering a metaphoric control to the watching audience that reflects the narrative.