Research

Healthy Aging Lecture to explore cross-generational multimedia project FaceAge

Andrew Belser, creator and director of FaceAge, a cross-generational multimedia experience, will discuss the development and motivation behind the project at the Healthy Aging Community Lecture, scheduled for 10 a.m. on Oct. 13 at Foxdale Village, 500 E. Marylyn Ave., State College. Credit: Kevin Sliman / Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – FaceAge, a cross-generational multimedia experience, will be the topic of the October Healthy Aging Community Lecture, hosted by the Penn State Center for Healthy Aging.

Andrew Belser, creator and director of FaceAge, will discuss the development and motivation behind FaceAge and the importance of artful interventions at 10 a.m. on Oct. 13 at Foxdale Village, 500 E. Marylyn Ave., State College.

The FaceAge exhibit is a collaborative effort by Belser, director of the Arts & Design Research Incubator and professor at the Penn State School of Theatre in the College of Arts and Architecture; Amy Lorek, research and outreach associate at the Center for Healthy Aging in the College of Health and Human Development; and the Penn State College of Nursing.

The exhibit, which can be viewed at the HUB-Robeson Center on University Park campus until Dec. 9, features three screens allowing observers to be surrounded by a film that shows 18- to 22-year olds and participants 70 and older sitting face to face while studying, describing and touching one another’s faces.

During the lecture, Belser will discuss the inspiration for the three-screen set-up and how it aims to create more of an embodied experience for the viewer. He will also discuss one of the main motivations for using an artistic intervention to tackle bias and taboo issues – such as aging.

“Art often resonates with people for a variety of reasons. We’re using arts to engage in critical conversations,” Belser said. “With this project I’d like to see how the exhibit may be able to cultivate sensitivity around aging.”

Through his lecture, Belser hopes to inspire attendees to view the exhibit and provide feedback for potential future projects and research.

“I’m encouraging the community to be in the presence of an engagement event that brings us in contact with our own sensations of aging,” Belser said.

The Healthy Aging Community Lecture is free; however, reservations are required. To make a reservation, call 814-865-4773 or email psuhealthyaging@gmail.com. To learn more about the installation, other community events, and planned research, visit www.faceage.org.

The lecture series is a local partnership developed and sponsored by the Penn State Center for Healthy Aging, The Village at Penn State, Mount Nittany Medical Center, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Penn State, Foxdale Village, Juniper Village at Brookline and Home Instead Senior Care.

For more information on the series or parking, visit healthyaging.psu.edu.

Last Updated September 30, 2016

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