Another Day in Paradise?
An public engagement exhibition
of homelessness in London
What is the British Academy Summer Showcase?
The British Academy hosts a free annual festival of ideas, featuring a key line up of key speakers, workshops, public exhibits and so much more. This year, eight selected researchers funded by the BA have been competitively chosen to display their research in an interactive manner from a wide range of disciplinary expertise.
What is this exhibition about?
Have you ever wondered how homeless people spend their days? They may look for places to rest, to eat, try to find work, and spend time with those who understand them. At a deeper level, they live in a world of uncertainty, many without routines, and dealing with emotional cycles of sadness, shame, despair, regret and confusion.
My British Academy Innovation Fellowship (Footprints in Sutton, 2022) has partnered with a homeless day shelter, Sutton Night Watch, to responsibly and ethically follow the daily activities of 10 homeless clients of the shelter using GPS devices and walking
interviews allowing us to build a complex picture of their needs, feelings, hopes and comforts as they go about their lives.
We believe this will lead to new insights for charities and the government better support homeless people and change public perspectives, so that the homeless can feel safer and more included. The exhibition is split into three stations of engagement, presented below.
The Burden of Choices
#1 Homelessness Board Game - What choices you make as a rough sleeper?
Based on the findings from the BA Innovation Fellowship, we have 'walked the walk' and 'heard the choices' rough sleepers have to make on a daily basis. In our interactive modelled board game, we will engage your sense of choices by providing you with a series of options that will help you understand what it is like to not be able to have the freedom of a home.
Policy Recommendations & Innovative Research
#2 How was this innovative project designed? What lessons did we learn?
At your own pace you can freely scroll through our playlist of options which tells you the story about the BA Innovation Fellowship. A series of 2-min videos indulge your curiosity on the ethical design of this project, the specialised software used, the close workings with the partner Sutton Night Watch Homeless Charity, and the research and policy findings that are recommended through the work.
Messages of Hope - Charity Drive
#3 Now that you know what do you want to say?
At Roehampton University we have conducted a massive charity drive to collect donations from our staff and students to help put together this exhibition. At this station, we ask you to reflect on all you have learnt from engaging with the exhibition and the showcase team. You are invited to create a mini-hamper and write a 'message of hope' which we will distribute back to the local community in London experiencing rough sleeping.
For staff and students interested in donating to our charity drive please follow the guidance for making donations. If unsure please contact us for more information on what to donate.
Donations are currently being collected around the University of Roehampton, please see our posters and collection boxes below. We kindly ask that you consider items that might be waterproof and lightweight. Perhaps consider donating some personal hygiene items (deodorant, sanitary pads, tampons, miniature soaps, washes). We suggest also, small fanny packs or lightweight storage bags for carry personal items. Donations can be made from now until July 8th 2024.
