THIS ROOM
One woman’s hard-lived reality of temporary accommodation. Following her traumatic escape from domestic violence she is given a home that is filthy and dangerously unfit for her two young children.
PERFORMANCE
ABOUT THIS WORK
THIS ROOM is an 8-minute musical work that platforms the story of thousands of invisible families who are homeless in the UK.
It is one woman’s hard-lived experience of poor quality temporary accommodation. Following her traumatic escape from domestic violence she is given a home that is filthy and dangerously unfit for her two young children.
The lyrics were adapted from real interviews and the music is interwoven with the real spoken testimonial of one woman who has survived appalling conditions in temporary accommodation.
The piece is a collaboration between Sound Voice and research consultants from CHAMPIONS. It is informed by robust research data and evidence. It is crafted from real interviews. Sadly, this story is not unique.
There is a stark correlation between child mortality and being homeless in England.
34 children have died unexpectedly since 2019.*
The work ends with a reference to the tragic death of Iwaab Ishak (aged 2) in 2020 due to a fatal respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his social-housing home.
* The data was compiled by an NHS-funded body, the National Child Mortality Database (NCMD), for a report written by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Temporary Accommodation. The NCMD, which was set up in 2018, found that being homeless may have been a contributing factor in the sudden and unexpected deaths of 34 children between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2022.
THIS ROOM
Music by Hannah Conway
Words by Hazel Gould
Sound Artist – Francesca Panetta
Nadine Benjamin – soprano
the real voice and recorded spoken testimonial of a women who has survived temporary accommodation
Research consultants and topic experts Prof. Monica Lakhanpaul and Dr Nadia Svirydzenka
violin – Magdalena Filipczak
cello – Ben Chappell
piano – Maria Struckova
Creative Producer – Katherine Wilde
Sound Engineer – Brett Cox
Created in collaboration with CHAMPIONS, University College London, De Montfort University and Bee Squad.
Informed by research evidence, this work is funded by ESRC as part of UK Research & Innovation’s rapid response to COVID 19 and the Rosetrees Foundation, UCL’s Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Grand Challenges.
Bee Squad is grateful to Young Manchester for supporting their involvement in this project with a City of Social Action grant.
Special thanks to:
Jo Spurling and to many families across the UK with lived experience of temporary accommodation who contributed their stories.
