Bringing together the Poverty Truth Community, community artist Jean McEwan, the Binks Hub and the University of Edinburgh Library Service, this project involves the co-creation of a digital ‘quilt’ that will showcase the Poverty Truth Community’s work in advancing change for those experiencing poverty.
The key aim of this project is to produce an online archive of community-donated images, associated oral histories, and bespoke pieces created for this project, that tell the story of the Poverty Truth Community over the last two decades, creating a tangible legacy for the organisation and wider anti-poverty movement.
The process of producing the digital ‘quilt’ will involve working with community members to identify, store, and create various ‘patches’ of the quilt, including community-donated images, artefacts, associated oral histories and recordings, and collaged pieces following an overall quilt design. Once curated, these will be put on an accessible digital platform to preserve the work of the Poverty Truth Community around the sharing of lived experiences of poverty and participating in policymaking. This process will be driven primarily by what the community wants and needs, with the Binks Hub providing support and guidance around community-archiving practices, hosting community events to co-produce ‘patches’ for the quilt, collecting oral histories, and advising on the technical aspects of the digital platform.
In capturing the work of the Poverty Truth Community this way, the process will explore how digital quilt-making can contribute to both individual and organisational well-being and flourishing, as well as building up a knowledge and expertise of community-archiving practices.
The Binks Hub is committed to demonstrating how creative methods can drive forward policy change and exploring the boundaries between activism, art and research, and this project provides a valuable opportunity for both.
The projected outputs of this project will include:
The project began in earnest in late Autumn 2024 and will run through until the end of 2026.
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