This International Women’s Day, we highlight the work of the RUPT Associates, three underrepresented women artists. The Advent of Ageing: a bold creative reimagining of what it means to grow older.
Commissioned by CADA, the RUPT Associates were invited to explore and a manifesto for change for creative ageing.
The result is two outstanding works: an Advent of Ageing poem and calendar. Together they form two powerful artworks designed to spark conversation, stir emotion, and disrupt long-held narratives around creativity in later life.
Behind each window of the calendar lies a piece of art accompanied by a thought, reflection, or provocation. These are more than images and words; they’re invitations to slow down, look closer, and listen.
The poem opens simply, “The advent of ageing begins…with a question.” What follows is a cascade of reflections “a late life bloom, an evening sunrise that’s right on time.” Tender and defiant in equal measure, it declares “This is ageing, before you a fossil that has eons of beauty / in a spiral of wisdom radiating outwards…” Ageing is not an ending. It is “a continuum of crescendos, rests and refrains.”
We invite you to join us in calling out ageism and amplifying the voices and creativity of older women. Look out for the images, listen to the poem, start a conversation.
Listen to the poem here
Creative Ageing: Development & Agency 