The Coming of Age visual story

This exhibition is called ‘The Coming of Age’. 

An exhibition is a collection of things to look at and learn about.

The exhibition is at Wellcome Collection.

The exhibition is in Gallery 1 on level 0 of our building.

‘The Coming of Age’ is an exhibition about people’s experiences of ageing.

Ageing means living longer and getting older.

This exhibition looks at:

• what happens to our bodies and minds when we get older
• how people might feel about getting older.

• objects from the past
• everyday objects
• photographs
• paintings and drawings
• sculptures
• films
• sound works.

If you need any help, you can speak to a member of our team.

People sometimes speak quietly at an exhibition. But you do not have to speak quietly.

The sensory map shows you where these things are.   

We will tell you more about them later in this visual story. 

‘Everything is Connected’ by Ian Beesley

This is an artwork made from a neon light.

Neon is a bright coloured light made with glass tubes and electricity.

This artwork is shaped like a light bulb. Ian Beesley made this artwork. Ian wanted to show the idea of a ‘light-bulb moment’. A light-bulb moment means suddenly understanding something new.

The work is called ‘Everything is Connected’.

Ian made this artwork to show that our past, present and future are linked as we grow older

Response wall

Here you can answer some questions about ageing.

You can write your answers on a piece of paper.

Then you can hang this paper on the wall so that other people can read it.

You can also read other people’s answers.

There are no wrong or right answers. You can write whatever you think or feel.

People now live longer than people did in the past.

Living longer can be good. Living longer gives more time for family and fun.

But living longer can also be hard. Living longer can mean more years living with illness.

Illness is when a person feels unwell.

Getting older is different for different people.

Getting older can be different for different people, because of:

• where they live
• what help they get.

This exhibition looks at these different experiences of ageing.

Sake cup

Sake is a Japanese word. When we say this word it sounds like sa-kay.

Sake is a Japanese alcoholic drink made from rice.

This cup was made for drinking sake.

When a Japanese person lives to be 100 years old, the Japanese government gives a special sake cup to that person on their birthday. This is to show respect.

In the past only a small number of people received a cup. Now many more people reach 100 years old.

Giving cups to more people cost a lot of money.

So now people are given cheaper cups.

This makes us think about ageing and how society cares for older people.

Section 1 is called ‘Living Longer’.

People now live longer than people did in the past.

This section shows different ideas about ageing over time.

This section also looks at:

• how people try to stay feeling young
• how money affects ageing.

‘Still-Life’ by Sam Taylor-Johnson

This work shows a bowl of fruit on a table.

At first it looks like a still photograph.

Then the fruit slowly changes. It ripens, gets soft, and then rots.

Next to the fruit is a pen. The pen does not change.

The work is about time. It shows how some things grow and fade while others stay the same.

This work is quiet and simple, but it makes you think about life and change.

‘Zimmer’ by Daphne Wright

This sculpture is about Zimmer frames.

Zimmer frames are walking frames that help people move safely.

Zimmer frames give people support and make daily life easier.

The artist Daphne Wright made this frame from soft clay. Soft clay is fragile.

Fragile means easy to break.

Daphne visited people in nursing homes. Daphne saw that people add objects to their frames to make them personal and useful.

The frame in this artwork has a cloth to make it more comfortable to hold.

The sculpture shows that Zimmer frames can:

• help people move around
• be used in different ways for different needs.

Treatments against ageing

Here you can see old products that people believed would slow down ageing.

People hoped these products would help them:

• live longer
• look younger.

The jar had something called ‘syrup of long life’ inside it.

The small book is about pills that promised long life.

People used the machine to shine purple light on their body and face.

None of these things would make people look younger.

These objects remind us that people have worried about ageing for a long time. The objects show how people thought it was better to look younger.

‘The Problem of the Hydra’ by Maija Tammi

This film is about an animal called a hydra.

Hydras are tiny animals that live in water.

Hydras do not get old like other animals. They can live forever.

Scientists have studied hydras for a long time because they are so unusual.

This film asks what it would be like to live forever.

This film is 10 minutes long.

Section 2 is called ‘Life’s Courses’.

Course can mean path or journey.

We all get older every day.

Some people think everyone has the same path through life. They think that at each age, we all do the same things.

So sometimes people worry they have not done the right thing for their age.

This section asks what happens when our lives do not follow one clear path.

It shows that people live their lives in many different ways.

‘Game of Life’

This board game is from about 40 years ago. But people have been playing games like this for over 160 years.

Players move around the board and choose things like getting a job and getting married.

To win the game, the players need to earn lots of money and live in a big house.

This game shows one way of life. It does not show how many people live in different ways.

‘Warning’ by Jenny Joseph

Jenny Joseph was a poet. ‘Warning’ is a poem she wrote when she was 29 years old. You can see the poem in this case.

The poem has a famous first line about wearing purple and a bright red hat. The poem is fun.

The poem says it is okay to be a bit different and not follow all the rules, at any age.

Jenny wrote this poem when she was 29. Jenny was imagining life when she got older.

This film of her reading the poem helps us think about getting older, and the different feelings people have about it.

‘It’s on the Cards’ by Magic Me

This project is about birthday cards. It looks at how birthday cards show ideas about age.

The project was done by artists, school students and older people.

Birthday cards sometimes have unkind things on them about getting older.

The group worked together to design birthday cards.

Their birthday cards have different and kinder ideas about getting older.

This display has some of the cards the group made.

It also tells us how the group made the cards.

Section 3 is called ‘Acting Your Age?’

This section is about different ideas about what it means to be different ages.

These ideas come from lots of different places.

They might come from television or social media.

The ideas tell us:

• what people think teenagers are like
• what people think middle-aged people are like
• what people think older people are like.

Some people think age is only about the body.

But age is also about how society treats people.

This section looks at new ideas about ageing.

It shows that life can be exciting at any age.

‘Age of Wonder’ by Carolyn Mendelsohn

‘Age of Wonder’ is a collection of photos taken by Carolyn Mendelsohn.

Carolyn took photos of young people in Bradford, a city in the north of England.

The photos were taken over several years.

You can see 6 of Carolyn’s photos.

The photos are of 3 different people.

For each person there is 1 photograph when they are younger and 1 photograph when they are older.

These photos show how the people in them have changed over time. The people might look different.

The people might also have different feelings and ideas.

‘Wild Apples’ by Serena Korda

This artwork shows clay sculptures made by artist Serena Korda. There are 3 sculptures of real women’s bodies.

There are also many painted clay apples lying on the floor. Serena Korda copied real apples to make these.

You can hear a recording of people singing. They were singing to apple trees.

The artwork shows that every woman’s life and body is different.

‘Legendary Glamma’ by Diana Kaumba

You can see photos taken by Diana Kaumba.

The photos are of her grandmother.

Her grandmother is called Margret Chola and she is about 80 years old.

Diana asked Margret to try on bright and colourful clothes for the photos.

People around the world have seen the photos on Instagram.

The photos have become very popular.

People enjoy the photos of Margret because they are fun and joyful.

The photos shows that fashion and joy can be part of life at any age.

Section 4 is called ‘Connection and Care’.

This section is about how we take care of people.

Sometimes people need support when they get older.

This might be medical care.

It might also be support to live at home.

This can include support with cooking, cleaning and washing.

Sometimes care comes from family, friends or neighbours.

Some care comes from paid workers.

Technology can also help us take care of people.

Care helps people feel safe and looked after.

‘Software Garden’ by Rory Pilgrim

This is a long film with music, voices and moving pictures.

It shows people talking about life, technology and the future.

Many different people worked together to make this film.

The film looks at how technology changes our lives.

The film makes us think about how we can take care of each other.

The film is 51 minutes long.

If you need any help, you can speak to a member of our team.

Pepper robot

Pepper is a robot made to care for people.

The robot was tested in care settings in Japan and Europe.

Care settings are places where people get support.

The tests showed that robots cannot give care in the same way humans can.

People need kindness and other people to talk to. The robot cannot do these things.

The robots cost a lot of money to buy and use.

Because not many people wanted these robots, Pepper stopped being made in 2021.

‘Uncertain Futures’ by Suzanne Lacy

This is a film about women and work.

The artist Suzanne Lacy worked with women from Manchester, a city in the north of England.

Suzanne talked to women over 50 and recorded their stories about work and life.

The women talked about things like age and fairness in jobs.

On the wall at the entrance is a photo of the 100 women who took part.

You can watch the film that tells the women’s stories.

‘Unclaimed’ by The Liminal Space

This room has been designed to look like a lost property office.

A lost property office is a place where lost things are kept. These might be:

• bags
• umbrellas
• hats.

Each thing in a lost property office belongs to a person. The thing is part of the person’s life story.

This lost property office helps us think about growing older and being remembered.

Some people might feel forgotten, like a thing in a lost property office.

You can find accessible guides at the start of the exhibition.

• a gallery guide with words and pictures

• a large-print guide

• a visual story

• a sensory map.

A sensory map shows you where there are things like out-loud sound, bright lights or seating.

There is a white line on the exhibition floor. Follow the white line to get to each stop.

The white line has a pattern that you can feel with your feet.

Or you can listen to the audio-described guide by:

1)   picking up a touch-button handset in the exhibition

2)   pressing the number of the audio stop.

If you need help with anything, you can ask a member of our gallery team.

If you need additional support to enjoy this exhibition, join us for a Relaxed Opening. At a Relaxed Opening there will be:

• fewer visitors
• extra gallery staff to help you.

At a Relaxed Opening you can use our:

• cushions
• ear defenders
• tinted glasses
• tinted visors
• weighted lap pads.

At a Relaxed Opening there will be a Chill-Out Room. The Chill-Out Room has:

• low lighting
• soft seats
• sensory and fidget toys.