Experience - The Exchange
Tears of sadness were swapped for tears of joy for many Vivo services users when lockdown was lifted and they were able to see loved ones again after so long.
Vivo Care Choices provides support for people with learning disabilities and autism, as well as older people. Vivo staff joined its service users in conversations about Covid that were recorded and gathered together in an audio installation that was then taken on tour.
Filament Projects, a Cheshire-based theatre company, created The Exchange installation, which is modelled on an old-fashioned telephone exchange, inviting two people at once to pick up a handset and plug it in to hear individual stories.
The Exchange project gave Vivo service users ownership of their own stories. The stories were gathered by Creative practitioner Kat Hughes gathered at Vivo’s Firdale Day Centre in Northwich through a series of workshops with residents and their carers.
“I missed my mum and everything, and Paul, my brother. And I was really down,” says Norman, one of the residents. “I was near enough crying, it was that bad. I got totally emotional.”
Asked who he wanted to see first after lockdown, another replies: “My mum! My family again.” And what was it like seeing them again? “I cried. I cried.”
The co-creation workshop process was detailed and needed time, as participants were delving into complex and potentially emotionally charged conversations. A lot of time was spent meeting, chatting and getting to know service users and the staff so they felt comfortable, supported and confident to share their stories for the artwork installation.
The diversity of how the pandemic was experienced was clear. Some respondents said it was a good time for them, there were moments of hope and kindness and people connecting with their local area in new ways. Others identified it as one of the hardest times in their lives, when they were forced to deal with loss, separation and profound uncertainty.
Sally Liddle, senior support worker at Vivo, says: “Some of it’s been quite emotional at times, some of it’s been quite funny. But it will hopefully help people to understand in the future how Covid affected people who had to stay at home.”
Several staff also said how much they appreciated being asked about the impact of the pandemic and having the opportunity to explore Covid’s impact on the care sector, which hadn’t been possible before then.
The Exchange was first shown at the Firdale day centre, allowing service users and staff to be the first people to see the installation and the impact of their stories. Filament found it “joyful to see the pride they felt, seeing and hearing themselves displayed in a respectful and engaging manner”. The Exchange then went on to tour to Chester, Winsford and Neston libraries, as well as Theatre Porto in Ellesmere Port.
The Exchange’s legacy is wide-ranging. Recordings from participants and postcards that captured audience will be added to the archived permanent record of Covid’s impact.
Kat hopes it will bring the community together. “Art is a hugely valuable resource in bridging our experiences from one heart to another, or one mind to another. We get to step into somebody else’s experiences and hopefully learn from the experience and find common ground with other people.
We’ve also learned over the course of this project that we have lots more in common that just that moment that we lived through.
“We hope the legacy is friendships, common ground and listening to each other, and being curious about each other’s stories.”