In Summer 2024, Little Earthquake proudly appointed itself as Birmingham’s first ever Unofficial Election Artists, at the start of a pivotal year for both the city’s and the country’s political fortunes.
During the frantic weeks before and uncertain months beyond the General Election, we heard from people across all ten constituencies about their hopes and concerns for the future of Birmingham.
Inspired by 147 hours of interviews, 268 voicemails to our Hotline and 339 WhatsApp messages, we produced seven short films which home in on some of the recurring subjects and stories which mattered most to our contributors.
Like so many of those who contacted us, the characters in these films are full of contradictions. They have plenty of strong opinions but often feel nervous about expressing them for fear of criticism or cancellation. They want things to be different, but they worry whether that change will turn out to be for better or for worse.
When it comes to the bins or the NHS, the climate crisis or even the usefulness of our vote, the way they see it may not be exactly the way you see it — but in their sense of deep uncertainty, we think you’ll find that they are very much like the rest of us.
