Alone Together is an exhibition exploring young people’s sense of being alone and being together running from 10 - 27 September 2019 (closed weekends), 1pm-5pm at The Horsfall, 87-91 Great Ancoats Street, Manchester M4 5AG.
Young people from Greater Manchester have produced a series of collaborative works around the theme of youth loneliness. The exhibition features an installation of a room where people are invited to enjoy a moment of solitude, the documentation of young people’s design collaboration for a public mural on 42nd Street’s building, films made by young people at Gorse Hill Studios and sound installations produced in collaboration with Brighter Sounds.
Research identifies that one in three young people suffer from loneliness (Red Cross, Co-op, Kantar, 2016) and 65% of 16-25 years old reporting feeling loneliness at times and 32% feeling lonely “often” or “all the time” (Majoribanks and Bradley, 2017).
Presented over three floors in The Horsfall, Alone Together is a response by young people to the issue of youth loneliness. Cariad Hughes, 21, is a student who participated in the project. She says: “Young people are afraid of being alone but you need time alone to become comfortable with yourself.
“Alone Together is about understanding that everyone experiences loneliness and creating a space where we can appreciate loneliness is a shared human experience.”
Room On My Own
42nd Street Creative Agents have designed and created an immersive room for people to enjoy a moment of solitude. The space is a sensory experience featuring nature, art and music where you can be alone but not feel lonely. The room has been devised and designed by young people working in collaboration with professional artists as well as Manchester Craft and Design.
Public Mural
Young people collaborated with visual artists Tasha Whittle and Billy Colours to create a mural design for the front of 42nd Street’s building which represents their experiences of mental health and emotional wellbeing.
Film project
Young people at Gorse Hill Studios, an alternative education provision in Trafford, collaborated with filmmaker Humberto Valez to create a series of short films exploring solitude and creativity.
Soundscapes
Brighter Sounds worked with young people from all over Greater Manchester to create digital soundscapes to reflect feelings of being alone in the city.
Rod Kippen, Creative Producer at 42nd Street says: “The process of Alone Together has allowed young people to think about and discuss their sense of self as lone creators and also as group members creating collaborative pieces of work.
“The resulting exhibition invites visitors to explore their own relationship to solitude and how art can support connection.”
For further information, visit: www.42ndstreet.org.uk and www.thehorsfall.org.uk