Transparent boundaries colloquium

Transparent Boundaries is an EU project bringing together partners from the UK, Denmark, Greece and Italy in multi-disciplinary arts project exploring and responding to: “Where are the older people and why doesn’t society recognize their presence more in popular culture? (Dr. Don A. Grady, Elon University, North Carolina). The community of the Elder is a trans-national and cross-cultural invisible web of connection. The demographic in developed countries is one of an increasing, and increasingly, ageing population with many born today who will live to 100 and beyond. Societal attitudes to the elder differ from culture to culture, but in many countries there is an almost total non-representation in the media, except when problems occur. In 2007 the world organisation The Elders was formed: an independent group of global leaders who work together for peace and human rights. An Elder is a changemaker – someone who can lead by example, creating positive social change and inspiring others to do the same. The generation who are now entering the age of the Elder is composed of those who have been born since 1945. This is a generation who have pro-actively shaped the culture in which they have lived, changing attitudes to the young, to women, to sexuality, to work and to the family. They have been politically active and used to seeing themselves represented in the media. There is no evidence that the force for change that this generation embodies is diminishing through age