Uncertain Futures has been guided from the outset by participatory and community research practices and an underlying ethics of care in the processes, practices and techniques we have used. This ethics of care has permeated the project from the original conception of the research questions through to the implementation and design of the exhibitions and their spaces. The ethics of care has meant, for example, that the ‘art as research’ dimension of the project, including the live performances, have been steered by concepts such as privacy, anonymity and ‘care on the day’ practices. The team have also ensured that the ethics of care steers the ‘research as art’ dimension of the project. Substantive and publishable research is a key aspect of our work, alongside activist and aesthetic productions. The research plan and outcomes are noteworthy in the realms of ageing/labour research and serve as an exemplary model of effective participatory research.
