“What is the health or social care breakthrough you want to see in your lifetime?”
From 2020-21, Multiverse Lab asked this question to people across the North East and Cumbria. Now you can find out what they had to say.
Unfolding Theatre was commissioned by health and social care partners to create Multiverse Lab. This award-winning interactive experience was designed to shape the future of health and social care research in the North East and Cumbria.
Multiverse Lab reached over 3,000 people to ask what matters to them when it comes to their health and wellbeing. Launched as an online experience during lockdown, Multiverse Lab then toured as a pop-up installation to outdoor spaces including the Great North Museum in Newcastle, Hetton Community Pool, Trinity Square in Gateshead, South Shields Market Place and Carlisle Old Town Hall.
Playful and fun, Multiverse Lab was developed to make communities’ voices heard, including those under-represented in public engagement. Visitors to Multiverse Lab explored the major health breakthroughs of the last 100 years, the region’s health inequalities and cutting-edge research being carried out in the North East and Cumbria today. Bespoke technology invited visitors to leave a message to share the health or social care breakthrough they hope to see in their lifetime.
From cancer to dementia to mental health to equality, the issues people talked about created a 'Lab of Many Voices'. This archive has been used to shape health and social care research bids and priorities by the commissioning partners. Now available online, Multiverse Lab can inform wider research and engagement projects.
Explore Multiverse Lab. Discover the Top 10 most talked about issues. Inspire your research.
Thanks to all the health researchers & contributors who helped create Multiverse Lab: Lisa Alcock, Lexi Allen, Matt Birbeck, Fraser Birrell, Susan Bissett, Susan Carr, Philip Brown, Chris & Kleo D, Julie Fletcher, Nick Jakubovics, Lesley Haley, Linda Heskamp, Catherien Hilkens, Alison Killen, Ian, Encarna Mico-Amigo, Ben Miller, Marloes Peeters, Felicity Shenton, Rachel Stocker, Roisin Stout, Samantha Waite
Multiverse Lab builds upon the success of Multiverse Arcade, which was originally commissioned as part of the Great Exhibition of the North in 2018 and to date has inspired 20,000 young people to think about their future.
Creative Team
Director
Annie Rigby
Performers
Umar Butt, Kay Greyson, Tony Neilson and EJ Raymond
Hosts on Tour
Alex Elliott, Wambui Hardcastle, Caroline Liversidge and Tony Neilson
Graphic Design
Wayne Gamble
Sound Design
Garry Lydon
Concept & Installation Design
Imogen Cloët
Digital Production of MVL Game
TUCan Studios and Simon McKeown
Digital Production of MVL Archive
Garry Lydon, Ollie McNally & Living Archive
Filmmaker
Alex Elliott
Technicians on Tour
Craig Davidson, James Froment and Tony Neilson
Company Producer
Michael Barrass
Commissioning Producers
Kasia Kurowska, Felicity Shenton and Charlie Wilkinson
Multiverse Lab was commissioned and funded by a innovative collaboration of partners; The National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA), National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Newcastle University, The Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and VOICE. Touring was also supported by NIHR ARC.
Winner: Newcastle University Engagement & Place Award 2022
