I Would be Here If I Could

Welcome to the largest collaborative art project in the UK co-curated with people with ME/CFS Long COVID I Would be Here If I Could… is the journey of a large mirror box and map placing messages from people with ME/CFS, Long COVID and other health conditions, for people at the places they love but are now unable to get to. Our mission is to enable people to be seen and heard through the shared love, memory, and experience of place; so we all feel connected to that wider sense of belonging. Lockdown was a realisation of what it is like to be shut inside and cut off from so much of normal everyday life. For over 1.5 million people in the UK who have ME/CFS or Long COVID this a permanent reality. Shut in and shut out they have become invisible. Started as an invitation to tell us where they would be if they could. The project has received many messages, telling of football grounds, stadiums, beaches, parks. Ordinary and unusual places that mean so much but, as a result of their health, senders are unable or rarely able to get there. Starting next year the mirrorbox will appear at different places throughout the UK. It may stay for a few minutes and be asked to move on, or it might stay the whole day. At these locations, people can enter the box and listen to the message from the person who has chosen that place. They are invited to reply by writing a postcard back. We want to amplify the absence of so many and in the process provide a way to connect to the wider community through the shared love and memories of places that are important to us. We invite you to listen to the many voices, take part, tell others and maybe visit the mirrorbox if you can. With funding from Arts Council England, this is a project in development so please sign up or follow for updates.