We're All in This Together (2016)
By
Jill Kennedy-McNeill
A collage of images showing work in progress on We’re All in This Together. Photo credit: Jill Kennedy-McNeill.
Reflections on working creatively with vulnerable community participants on the subject of Britain’s housing crisis.
We're All In This Together is a project that was carried out over 8 months in 2016. It took place in the basement of a Church in Islington, the winter shelter for a Charity called the Pilion Trust. The Trust is committed to providing shelter for homeless young people aged 18 – 23 who are fleeing domestic violence, discrimination on the basis of their sexuality and/or gender identity, leaving care or otherwise being forced onto the street.
The work took the form of a series of discussions and workshops. Participants varied from week to week due to the transient nature of the drop in shelter and, in exchange for sharing their views on the housing crisis, they were taught how to silkscreen print. They kept the items they made, some showcasing them on social media, some gifting them and some selling them in a dedicated Etsy shop that was set up as part of the project. The words and phrases they provided were turned into a series of digital prints on fabric, which then became 28 interlinking garments that joined to form an installation which took the shape of a domestic dwelling.
Reflections on the lessons whilst carrying out this project are laid bare, warts and all, in the accompanying report, ‘We’re all in this together: considering Britain’s housing crisis’.
To read or download the document, please click the PDF below…
More information: https://www.jillkennedy-mcneill.com/
