Don't Forget to Remember

An artist navigates his mother's life and memories as they are being eroded by the advance of Alzheimer's.

This collaboration between filmmaker Ross Killeen and Irish street artist Asbestos documents the latter’s creation of an installation inspired by his mother, Helena, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The artwork is an attempt to preserve Helena’s memories of her life – capturing her experiences and feelings – and her love for those who have played a part in it. At the same time, Killeen captures Asbestos’ own love for his mother as he attempts to preserve her recollections. The film is also a record of how life-changing a condition Alzheimer’s is – a moving and poignant portrait that conveys the lived experience of a neurodegenerative condition. But it is also a joyous celebration of a life lived and a testament to the vivid, if fragile, nature of our memory.