About

When the first lockdown was announced on 23 March 2020, our homes and how we lived within them changed completely. ‘Home’ began to take on a new meaning as it became more than just a living space but where all elements of life played out, from schooling and studying to working and socialising – and often the only connection to the outside world came through digital media and video calls.

This changing relationship with our homes as the weeks and months rolled on is explored in the exhibition - House Share - opening on 26 June at Firstsite, Colchester. Curated by Firstsite’s Young Art Kommunity (YAK) group, working in partnership with Firstsite and Arts Council Collection (ACC), with whom Firstsite is a National Partner 2019-22, House Share responds to the group’s experiences during the three UK lockdowns.

As arguably the generation most negatively affected by the pandemic and lockdown, the YAK members, all aged 16-25 years old, use the exhibition to examine how their home took on a dual role as a creative and safe space, but also encompassed feelings of being confined.

The exhibition asks what events, experiences and emotions were shared between households, communities, generations and individuals, and what was radically different.

To create and curate the exhibition, the YAK group worked closely with a variety of artists, along with a poet, filmmaker, sound artist and herbalist, to respond to a variety of key themes. The result is a multi-sensory and interactive space designed to evoke a sense of each member’s home.