This work has produced a complex entanglement of methodological ideas that underpin performance and social practice art, community activism, and gerontological research. In 2019 the then director of Manchester Art Gallery, Alistair Hudson commissioned Suzanne Lacy to create a new artwork. Manchester Art Gallery, as part of the Manchester City Council, has a deep commitment to community engagement and Lacy began discussions with Community Learning Manager Ruth Edson. They brought aesthetic, research, community and activist practices together through a series of collaborations. Socially engaged art practice is often not limited to a single piece of art – such as a painting, sculpture or film. Rather the artwork might encompass a range of pieces, it can include an event or activity. It is also something that emerges over time through the collaboration of those involved. Discussions on how to give voice to marginalised populations and to work towards social change gave birth to many activities such as policy convenings, workshops, informal chats, panel discussions, all around the “spine” of three contiguous exhibitions in the same gallery. Based on the strength of participation and co-authorship, Uncertain Futures has legitimacy with valid outcomes in various areas: participatory art, participatory research, education and activism.
