The Dying in the Margins project began in 2019, with the aim of uncovering the reasons behind unequal access to home dying for people experiencing financial hardship and socio-economic deprivation in the UK. Now, in 2023, we are thrilled to announce the public exhibition of the photographs created through the study. The ‘Cost of Dying’ exhibition will be held at the Advanced Research Centre (ARC) at The University of Glasgow and will run from 25th April to 5th May 2023.
Over the past four years, we have worked with people experiencing financial hardship at the end of life, their carers, health and social care professionals, and commissioned award-winning documentary photographer Margaret Mitchell and filmmaker Lucas Chih-Peng Kao to understand the profound effect that people’s socio-economic circumstances can have on their end of life experiences.
We have used a combination of visual methods within the study, aiming to give participants the power to tell their own stories and highlight what matters to them at the end of life. Our methods have included:
Photovoice: Participants were given a camera to take photos of things that matter to them and discuss them with the researcher.
Photographic artist: We commissioned documentary photographer Margaret Mitchell to create images conveying aspects of their end of life experience.
Digital Storytelling: Bereaved carers were supported to create and record a short video and voiceover about their loved ones’ experience of financial hardship at the end of life.
Through the exhibition we hope to share a visual representation of end of life experiences seldom seen or considered by society at large. The exhibition is designed to inform the public conversation around improving the end of life care for those living with poverty and structural disadvantage. It highlights the need for greater awareness and action to address the issues faced by those on low incomes, including inadequate housing, lack of transport, and limited access to social support networks.
Exhibition Details
The public exhibition will be held at the Advanced Research Centre (ARC) located at The University of Glasgow, 11 Chapel Lane, Glasgow, G11 6EW. The exhibition will run from 25th April to 5th May 2023, and it will be open to visitors from Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 5.00 pm (excluding 1st May bank holiday), and on Saturdays, 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.
In addition, we will be hosting a professional panel discussion on Wednesday 26th April, 1:00pm – 3:00pm, also in the ARC, to explore the impact of the images and discuss ways to improve end-of-life care for people experiencing financial hardship and deprivation. This is a public event and we welcome anybody who would like to attend. Please see the Eventbrite page for more details and to register.
Could these photos and video/ film pieces be put on line? A close relative is dying in Dumfries palliative care unit just now so I can’t travel to Glasgow. I am very interested in the process of palliative care.
Penny
Hi Penny, Thank you for your interest in the project. Some of the images and participants’ stories are viewable online on the BBC Instagram and on the BBC News website.
Our principal investigator Dr Naomi Richards is based on the Dumfries campus, if you would like to email her (Naomi.Richards@Glasgow.ac.uk) I am sure she would be happy to discuss the possibility of viewing the images in Dumfries.
I would l Iike to dye in a lovely house hould.
Are there any plans to tour with this exhibition in other venues? For example I live in Kilmarnock and there are often exhibitions of art/photography from time to time in the Dick Institute. I would like more members of the public to see the photographs and listen to the stories of the people who participated and agreed to be photographed. Although I didn’t know the lady called Liz however I used to work at Gartnavel General Hospital and on occasion would see her getting on the bus going home in the morning perhaps having spent the night before staying with a friend? She was a very quiet dignified lady who just sat quietly on the bus. I am very sorry to hear that she died.
Many thanks
Hi Bernadette,
Thanks for your comment. At the moment the exhibition is at Glasgow University until 5th May. It will then be at the Mitchell Library over July and August. It will then be in Holyrood in November. We are looking at ways we might be able to showcase the exhibitions across Scotland in the long-term, perhaps through a traveling exhibition. Some of the images and participants stories are viewable online on the BBC Instagram and on the BBC News website:
Thank you for your comment about Liz, she was a very kind soul and it was lovely to be able to know her for the short time we did.