Please note: You can either look at the visual exhibition, listen the audio exhibition or you can play both at the same time – the choice is yours.

Z-arts was delighted to partner with Valeria Vargas a researcher from the Low Carbon and Sustainable Futures research group at Manchester Metropolitan University, and Dr David Haley a freelance ecological to create online exhibition, The Art of Storytelling, co-created and co-curated by our young people and artist Nayna Lad, and funded by the Census 2021 Public Innovation Fund.

Dr David Haley said: 

“The Census gathers snapshot data in a scientific way to provide statistical  information , but we expanded the process for people to give us their worldviews  about their past and future prospects. And who better to let us know about the  future than the amazing young people of Z-arts? The way Z-arts’ team and the young  people worked with us was truly innovative for research, to understanding the  realities of how we live. And it was such good fun!” 

Valeria Vargas commented:  

“It was a great pleasure working with colleagues at Z-arts, young people, and creative communities. The project wove artistic, collaborative and research elements that are not often found on common ground.” 

Those with a connection to Manchester’s Stretford Road, where Z-arts is based explored their journeys and relationships with where they live, as the project talked to people who were from all over the world to create something uniquely Mancunian. We’ve created an exhibition to give an insight into how people live that compliments the more data-based nature of the official census – where the census asks very specific questions, this project prompted people and let them speak to represent themselves.

CEO of Z-arts, Liz O’Neill, is delighted by the result of this unorthodox partnership: 

“I am so pleased to see the brilliant creativity that has come forth from these workshops, and how our young people think about home, belonging and their futures. Z-arts strives to be a home away from home for our children and young people, so exploring how we live has been a fun and unusual way to explore what we mean to our families. By sharing stories and creating art, we’ve been able to create something very special through this partnership” 

There is both a visual element, and an audio element to this exhibition, splitting the senses and sharing stories in different ways.