Commissioned Illustration work for The Workhouse Network for More Than Oliver Twist on Google Arts and Culture

The design work is a visual expression of the unique and varied lives of the six people the biographical research explores and has been shaped by a highly collaborative process. The researcher’s personal connections to particular objects, textures, architectural features, historical or biographical details, or personal anecdotes connected to the project all fed into creating each biography’s unique visual identity. This information was generated through a series of interviews with researchers connected to each of the biographies during the Covid 19 Pandemic and national lockdown.

The visual work was designed to be viewed alongside audio pieces created by Morgan Tipping. The six radio pieces visually develop the radio show as a metaphor for oral history across time. Each vintage radio design is unique which reflects the diversity of the experiences of the people all referred to as “paupers” who all lived in a workhouse in 1881. The handmade felt lettering is a tactile reminder of their individuality and reflects sensory experiences they may have shared by using Workhouse textiles.