Stolen Cars

A dementia study in 2006 referenced Henri Cartier-Bresson’s ‘decisive moment’ suggesting that the cessation of driving was a decisive moment for people diagnosed with the disease (Nichols & Martingale-Adams). Having to step out of the driver’s seat was the first time my wife had to truly confront the reality and the consequences of her illness. Her diagnosis had rendered her a passenger for the rest of her life.

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In this project, I wanted to show my wife’s relationship with the car she purchased before being told that she has Alzheimer’s. I envisioned a series of portraits and images that put her anywhere but in the driver’s seat.

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The project also yielded an opportunity to raise funds for the local Alzheimers Society. In 2023, various news outlets in Canada had reported that the car that my wife purchased, the Honda CR-V, has a reputation as being the most stolen model of car in the country. I used the idea of “stolen” to create a flyer that appears to advertise the stolen car, but the copy communicates a different message where the reader finds out how Alzheimer’s and other dementia-oriented illnesses are robbing people of their ability to drive. 

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