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Future Lives and Austerity: A Digital Exhibition

A poster for the exhibition reads

Our digital lives theme

What’s on offer?

This exhibition aims to deepen public awareness of the impact of austerity on young people’s lives and futures across Europe, including the UK and Greater Manchester.

The exhibition will provide a platform for young people to feel heard and for their experiences to be represented, fostering engagement and discussion on this significant social issue. Visitors can engage with audio and visual materials using tablet screens and headphones, and written materials, and members of the project team will be on hand to discuss our work. 

What’s it about?

As part of the Austerity and Altered Life-Courses research project, this interactive digital exhibition examines how austerity shapes young people’s imaginaries of the future. It features reflections from participants aged 18-35 from Greater Manchester, Barcelona, and Sardinia, exploring how austerity has shaped their past, present, and future lives.

The exhibition showcases a series of illustrated audio fragments from oral history interviews, accompanied by biographical maps, ‘stories to the future self,’ and ‘postcards to the future’ drafted by the research participants. Each narrative is enriched by the work of artist India Joseph, whose illustrations bring these narratives to life, offering a visual counterpart to the deeply personal testimonies. 

  

Through these illustrated audio fragments, stories unfold as reflections on how austerity alters personal dreams, aspirations and life-course trajectories. The narratives traverse the themes of uncertainty, housing and work precarity, and family decisions, revealing how hopes are articulated in an ever-shifting landscape of possibilities and constraints.

The exhibition invites viewers to engage with these stories in a dynamic format, combining audio, art, and interview materials. It aims to foster a deeper understanding of how austerity influences individual and collective futures, drawing connections between local experiences and broader European patterns of economic hardship. 

Who’s leading the event?

Sarah Marie Hall, Professor in Human Geography  at the University of Manchester 

Open to

Everyone is welcome

Of particular interest to

This exhibition will be of particular interest to young people aged 18-40. 

Event Booking details

No need to book.

Travel and accessibility information can be found here.