Reimagining Old Age: Barbican installation investigates what it means to grow old today

Pop along to the free installation, and you'll find yourself in a surreal lost property office filled with everyday objects that tell the story of ageing today, from talking shoes to books that read to you. It forms part of Barbican's season, Life Rewired, which explores how it means to be human when technology changes everything.

Commissioned by the Barbican and led by creative public engagement specialists The Liminal Space, the project began in spring 2018 with a series of interviews with 2,000 people aged over 70 from Camden, conducted by University College LondoLondon'sntology research team.

The Liminal Space team then engaged over 150 people from the research cohort and a diverse range of London communities through a series of creative workshops. The personal and philosophical insights of the interviewees and workshop participants uncovered a wide range of narratives about our ageing society.

The free installation opened this month and allowed visitors to engage with the topic creatively through various multimedia stories and objects featuring text and audio recordings from the interviews.

Sarah Douglas, Director at The Liminal Space, said: "At a time" when one in three people will live to 100, Unclaimed examines how our childhoods, jobs, health, wealth, families and technology will impact our experience of getting old. It engages people in crucial and essential topics like the inequality of ageing. It explores how we experience and view ageing about our sense of self, each other and our broader society."

Louise Jeffreys, artistic director at the Barbican, said: "By 2040, nearly one in four people in the UK will be aged 65 or over; as technological and scientific advances change the ways we both view and experience old age, it's essential that we tackle the topic head-on. Unclaimed attempts to spark conversation and heal inter-generational divides by bringing to life the memories and perspectives of an older population.

"We hope that visitors will come away with a greater understanding of what it means to grow old today, bringing people of different ages closer together."