What did we do?
We needed young people’s voices to be at the centre of the work. As part of a co-design process we ran a series of creative ideation workshops with a group of care experienced young people, to learn more about their own experiences and to understand what stories they wanted to tell. Their imaginative ideas fed directly into all stages of the design. In one session, a sound designer guided participants in the creation of an evocative sound journey, imagining the experience of a Foundling who had time travelled to 2024 and was about to enter care. In another session, the young people contributed text and images to an animation as part of the installation.
This creative process brought us to the overarching theme of ‘stigma’. As visitors moved through the different spaces of Coram’s building, they were taken on a journey through the past and present of the story of care and experienced the theme of stigma through different identities – from provocative and fun, to personal and profound.
We transformed Coram’s main entrance with a bright and eye-catching neon poster display and large ribbons running from ceiling to floor that hark back to Coram’s extensive archive. Neon light boxes illuminated quotations from past and contemporary sources, encouraging visitors to form connections with different voices throughout history. An immersive soundscape invited visitors to engage with more detailed stories and narratives, as the ethereal and dreamlike audio enveloped the space. Visitors heard first-hand the hopes, dreams and desires of care experienced young people whilst watching a multi-screened animated montage of their imagery and text.
We also created an arresting, full-scale graphic projection for Coram to project onto the facade of their building. The projection established a tone for the installations displayed inside, introducing key themes such as the history, motivation and impact of Coram’s legacy.
