Installation gives voice to 'invisible' suffering

The Mirrorbox will be placed at locations across the West Country

An immersive art installation that invites people to "disappear" inside a mirrored box to understand life with chronic fatigue syndrome, is coming to the West Country.

Created by Bristol artist Alison Larkman, Mirrorbox plays messages from ME and long Covid patients explaining why a particular location is special to them, and why their condition means they cannot be there themselves.

Ms Larkman, who has ME, said the concept came from "the idea of taking up space, of being seen and heard but also being invisible at the same time".

The initiative, titled 'I would be here if I could', has seen the Mirrorbox travel all over the country and it will be in Bristol and Glastonbury in the coming weeks.

ME causes extreme tiredness and can be so severe that patients are left bed-bound and unable to complete even simple tasks.

Other symptoms include problems with memory and concentration, muscle and joint pain, dizziness and sensitivity to light and sound.

When her illness is at its worst, Ms Larkman can only stay awake for three-hour windows.

"Your imagination is huge and you can lay in bed and travel to all sorts of places and think about things whereas you can't do them," she said.

Artist Alison Larkman came up with the concept while bed-bound with ME

"That's one of the questions I would think - 'where would I be if I could?'"

For Ms Larkman, the answer is always watching the hustle and bustle of London's Victoria Station from the top of the escalators on the way to visit her sister, but for others it was as simple as being able to see their children on the swings at the park.

"During this project I have met so many other people trying to manage what is essentially a fluctuating condition and also the shock of realising how bad ME is," she said.

"You just don't see people who are bed-bound, or who are on oxygen, and because you don't see them, even though I'd had it for years, it's been a real revelation."

The box will play messages recorded by those with chronic fatigue conditions

Some participants were unable to speak to record their messages, so wrote them down or sent them by text, but others were determined to be heard.

"We extended the project for a month because people wanted to wait for that day when they could send a message," Ms Larkman said.

"Knowing how important it is for people to have their voice heard in these places, it feels like a real responsibility."

People who enter the box are invited to write a postcard to the person who recorded a message they listened to.

It will be at the top of Troopers Hill, Bristol, on 1 June, under an oak tree at Ashton Court, Bristol, on 4 June, and at the top of Glastonbury Tor on 18 June.