Ian Mason – The Long Goodbye

‘The Long Goodbye’

My mother Audrey first showed signs of dementia around 2014. As I am an only child, the responsibility of helping her deal with daily life fell to me and my wife.

I decided to photograph Audrey’s slow decline on a regular basis as a means of coping with the situation, using my photography as a therapy for the gradual loss of her recognition of me as her son. I used my phone camera to enable discreet photography of the scenes in her flat and latterly in a nursing home. This technique enabled a genuine record of her predicament, untainted by the presence of a traditional camera. I felt voyeuristic in doing this, but it was the only way to produce an authentic and meaningful portrayal of her situation. The series is loosely chronological and documents the issues that affect a person struggling with dementia and the transition from independent living to being reliant on residential care as things worsened.

It has taken me a few years of contemplation regarding the work exhibited here, given its personal nature and I have included some ‘lighter’ images to balance the sombre tone of the situation.
I am accepting an offer to exhibit the project as part of Dementia Week at Bridgwater Arts Centre in May 2026, as a meaningful opportunity to share my experiences of this memory robbing disease.

Ian Mason 2026