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Unclaimed

The Liminal Space

Unclaimed installation

Explore this surreal lost property office where you will uncover stories in the most unlikely places.

As a society fixated on youth and agelessness, we tend to ignore an important question about ageing: what will it be like for me? Unclaimed, a new installation by The Liminal Space, puts forward new narratives about ageing. With the help of talking shoes, binoculars that let you see through someone else’s eyes and books that read to you, the often untold stories of what it’s like to grow old in the UK today are brought vividly to life.

Incredibly, one in three people in the UK today will reach their 100th birthday. As a nation we've never lived so long. Using leading research from University College London, data from the Centre for Ageing Better and interviews with hundreds of people from many backgrounds, Unclaimed explores the modern ageing experience, and raises questions about how society can tackle deepening inequalities in older age.

This project has been commissioned by the Barbican and is led by The Liminal Space, in partnership with the UCL’s gerontology research team, specifically the LINKAGE project (Long-term Information and Knowledge on Ageing). LINKAGE followed the journeys of some 2000 over-70 year olds in Camden, from their first contact with the social care system over a period of two years.

Unclaimed is funded by the Wellcome Trust and supported in an advisory capacity by the Centre for Ageing Better, Flourishing Lives, Age UK and Professor Molly Andrews from the University of East London and The Centre for Narrative Research.

About The Liminal Space

The Liminal Space uses art and design to create ground-breaking experiences that transform what people think, feel and do.  A unique consultancy that brings together the rigour of a think tank with the creativity of a cross-disciplinary design studio. Their projects translate complex social issues into tangible objects and spaces that people can immerse themselves to deepen their understanding and inspire action.

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