The Magic Money Tree

The Magic Money Tree
Kirsty Mackay & participants
Exhibition opening and book launch

Join us for the exhibition opening and book launch of The Magic Money Tree by Kirsty Mackay. It’s a great opportunity to view the work up close and pick up a signed copy of the new book. Jem Bartholomew and Kirsty will also share a few words about the project during the evening.

Working collaboratively with groups and individuals from across England, documentary photographer Kirsty Mackay explores the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and what poverty looks like in the world’s 6th richest economy.
Mackay worked closely with children, families and youth groups, primarily in The Black Country, Bristol and the North-East of England, to help develop skills in photography, issuing them with compact film cameras and encouraging them to consider the power of their own voice and how to use it.
During the recent election, questions of childhood poverty, the two-child benefit cap and the rise of inequality surfaced repeatedly. Yet throughout these conversations, the individuals and communities most affected by these political failures remained invisible and unseen. Among Mackay’s own images are those taken directly by children and young people using film cameras distributed through community workshops. These images often portray the fun of childhood - kids playing in front and with the camera - set against the backdrop of a society reshaped by 14 years of austerity. Elsewhere the images are overtly political, children carrying homemade placards, articulating anger at a country that continues to fail them. It’s a story told collectively through photography, text and banners, which asks the question – to what extent is poverty a political choice?

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Four Corners, 121 Roman Road, London, United Kingdom