Frequently Asked Questions

Event details

If you were homeless, where would you go for help? Frequently Asked Questions, a new exhibition by artist Anthony Luvera in collaboration with Gerald Mclaverty, uncovers the shocking and poignant challenge faced by those asking this one simple question.

The culmination of five years research, Frequently Asked Questions involved Gerald Mclaverty contacting local authorities across the UK to ask how he could access basic living provisions such as shelter, safety, healthcare, food, and communication.

Of 110 councils emailed in 2019, only ten provided answers to questions such as “where can I go for something to eat?”, “where can I find shelter from when it is raining or snowing?” or “where can I sleep during the night that is safe?” 41 of the councils did not reply at all. With the introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, Councils are now legally bound by new duties in relation to homeless individuals and these findings put their performance in relation to the Act under the microscope.

At the heart of Frequently Asked Questions is the enquiry into a homeless person’s rights, written from Gerald Mclaverty’s personal experience of homelessness, and requests for information about services provided in each jurisdiction.

Produced in association with Museum of Homelessness, the exhibition gives a picture of how services both help and hinder the estimated 320,000 homeless people in Britain, and offers an insight into the challenges and realities faced by the most marginalised individuals as they attempt to access systems of care.

Frequently Asked Questions combines art and policy to allow people to better understand just how their local authorities are treating fellow residents. Frequently Asked Questions will subsequently feature in an exhibition opening at The Gallery at Foyles, London, from the 13th January to 16th February 2020.

Back to events