The Artist David Lindsay-Coggins

David Lindsay-Coggins is a fifty two year old recently retired teacher who lives in Blackburn Lancashire. In the 1960s he studied at the School of Art in Liverpool and was a contemporary of John Lennon. More recently he completed a Master of Design at the School of Architecture there.

It was whilst studying in Liverpool in 1993 that he began to see a rapid decline in the health of Moira, his wife, as Alzheimer's Disease began to take a hold. Moira was also a teacher, and a gifted linguist. She is now fifty four years old.

As a way of coping David started to write poetry to express his feelings and to try to come to some understanding of Moira's feelings and perceptions of the world : "..to try to give her a voice, to articulate her thoughts was a therapeutic experience for me."

The paintings came later. The poems were a catalyst, though it became apparent that there was a symbiotic relationship between them.

The exhibition has been previously shown at a Cafe Gallery in Blackburn. After the showing at the Glaxo Neurological Centre the exhibition will return to Blackburn in July when it will be shown at Blackburn Cathedral. Following this there are plans for a showing in Peterborough at a Conference focusing on the care of Younger People with Dementia.

David would like to acknowledge the support of Jeff Barnett (Photography) and D. and A. W. Graphic Design Consultants of Blackburn.

Being a Carer

The Boundary of Being