Memory and Art in Aging

The Case of the “Meninas de Sinhá”

Abstract

We sought to understand the relationship between the community artistic practice of the group "Meninas de Sinhá" and memory, as a cognitive and cultural process experienced in old age. The memory of children's wheel games constitutes the raw material of collective artistic creations of the group. We performed a qualitative approach, with bibliographic review and participant observation recorded in field diaries. We discuss the concepts appropriated by the bibliographical review from the experiences of the "Meninas de Sinhá". We conclude that, the process of creation can be a resource so that, in old age, the authorial writing of life lasts. And that in this writing, memory and other elements of cognition are preserved and stimulated. The process of creation demands high cognitive activity, and in the case of collective creation, it increases social and cultural participation, the exchange of sensibilities and care.