The big book of homelessness
People who have experienced homelessness are making a medieval-style illuminated manuscript, describing their lives, in a 2-year project.
Together we are making an illuminated manuscript, at the Booth Centre and other support centres in Manchester for people with experience of homelessness. It gathers together significant events, dates, people, celebrations and memorials, all in one book, ‘A book of ours’ giving a wide cross-section of hugely individual lives. Our hope is that by doing this we reassert the identity and the individuality of people who are sometimes dismissed as “homeless” when they are so much more. Project supported by HLF.
Homeless lives don’t appear in any history books, but the Quilt of Leaves project aims to change that, with participants constructing their own accounts of homeless life throughout the year, with artwork, poems and songs to illustrate it.
In September 2021 we received emergency funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to run socially-distanced workshops (including online activities and phone calls) to keep connected with participants in this project. An extra chapter of the illuminated manuscript has been created to document people’s experience during the lockdown on paper and in song.
You can follow the project on our blog
Our twitter page @arthurandmartha
With thanks to all the National Lottery players and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
