Kristian Buus

Voices from the Vault

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Voices From The Vault is a multi-media body of work giving voice to people in Hackney, East London, who are in need of basic food supplies. Their voices come from the ‘vaults’ of the foodbanks, tucked away in the side rooms and small annexes of churches largely unseen across Hackney. These vital spaces hold food for survival as well as room for pause.

Hackney is a borough in East London where the tall towers of the wealthy borough next door, City of London, are always in sight. Having gone through a tremendous gentrification, many forget that Hackney is still home to many of the poorest in London. The rising number of people using foodbanks across the UK is a sign of a society where the social welfare system has been systematically undermined. Constant cuts and privatisation has made the welfare system a dysfunctional web of dead ends and hostile avenues to pass through. To many low income earners, a slight change in circumstances can leave you in need of financial help which is no longer available, and this is where the foodbank reluctantly steps in.