Portraits : I'm a cat lover

Portraits is a narrative project, in words and in photos, imagined and implemented by Laura Regev, responsible for the workshops.

We want to present to the public familiar stories, ones that are usually heard in the workshops’ atmosphere of shared confidences.

During a conversation with Laura, the portrayed person selects and tells a story, then chooses how he or she will be presented on film. With a camera from the fifties and a 12 photo film, the person then draws up his or her self-portrait.

Responding to the story, to the portrait chosen and to the conversation that started everything, then Laura herself develops a portrait.

I’m a cat lover, by Lisa

Lisa loves animals, bowling and art.

Long time ago I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder with a component of schizophrenia. All of these years, I was going to the Douglas and I learned how to do a lot of things. It helped me get my high school diploma, learn how to do wood working, make bird houses, stools where I was weaving, and plaques with people’s names on it. I was making all kinds of gifts for people, they loved it. And then, just last year, I found out through a neuropsychologist at the Douglas that I have an intellectual handicap. They really misdiagnosed me. Now I don’t have to take all those medications anymore it’s really a big change but I’m happy with what I’m doing.

In the foster homes where I was before, I didn’t get along with some of the people because they were people from the Douglas. Some of them had schizophrenia, and bipolar, some of them would lash out at me and make fun at me. Now they’re going to find a good place for me in the West Montreal Readaptation center. I still go to the special Olympics, I go bowling, I love bowling. I used to do track and field, where I won a few medals, I went to the nationals and I won 4 medals, I think I won some gold, silver, bronze, it was really a trip of a lifetime.

I also go to the zootherapy at the Douglas where I love the animals, cats, dogs, I love horses, I’d say I’m an animal person!

I used to have a cat, a dog too, I think I’m a cat person. I like guinea pigs too. One time when I was a little kid, I had some guinea pigs, I remember one named Pinky. I used to have him down on the basement floor, I trained him! I told him to stay in one place and he stayed so maybe I’m partly like St Francis!

I had a cat named Solo, he used to be like a dog, he had all the features of a dog. I used to have a Gazette route and this cat went on my wagon and went along with me on the Gazette route, very funny cat. My brother’s cat named Speedy, I think he’s getting to like me slowly, it’s his apartment, he’s very territorial and aggressive, he bites my toes and nibbles at them, he’s not trying to attack , I think the cat is trying to keep me out of trouble while I’m trying to keep him out of trouble.

One time I was at my mother’s apartment and her dog’s name is Snowball and I was in the bathroom one day, the door was locked, my brother was there, visiting my mother, all of a sudden they heard a bang, the dog was the first one outside of the bathroom door, but the dog is deaf, I was having a seizure in the bathroom and the dog kind of knew, and my brother and his wife, my mother and step father had to open the bathroom door with a pen. The dog knew! He felt the motions and alerted everybody.