A game of chance visualized by a flashing snake and ladder, a speech bubble with the glowing message “Lack Of Love Made Me Homeless” and a simple “I Slept Here” illuminate the walls, each one part of a recent art project exposing the plight of young homeless people in the English city of Wakefield.
Homelessness across England has increased by 14 per cent in the past year, and Wakefield is no different from the national picture. In response, the charity Pennine Camphill invited artist Richard Wheater from Neon Workshops to head a ten-week project, entitled Visible Words From Invisible People, in which homeless participants could showcase a particular message or idea through a neon visualization.
Wheater, born in Wakefield, works primarily with neon signage and runs the only workshop of its kind in the country using the medium. Through word of mouth, the prospect of involvement on a group art project led to a dozen homeless people coming in the first week. Wheater, founder of Neon Workshops, says: “I think the title re- ally appealed to them; they do feel invisible. I think playing with fire also appealed to them.”
Most of the participants, all classed as homeless, are aged from 18 to 24, apart from Dave: once married, with a well-paid job and two cars in the garage, he is now homeless. “It was a long fall,” Wheater says. “You realize it could happen to anyone.”
