Have you seen 'Our Kid'?
Our Kid is a 7ft high steel sculpture in human form and the centerpiece of an innovative multimedia exhibition charting changes in healthcare over the last 60 years. Marking the anniversary of the announcement in Manchester of the founding of the NHS, Our Kid is currently on display in the foyer of Central Library. The Our Kid project was run by Nowgen, and supported by the Central Manchester and Manchester Children’s University Hospitals NHS Trust.
The Our Kid sculpture
The figure is embedded with digital screens packed with information, interviews with experts, original Public Service broadcasts and forward-looking films made by local young people. Together they tell the stories behind the changing face of healthcare, the vital contribution made by research and the breakthroughs that have come out of Manchester.
Our Kid was first revealed at the project launch event on 20 October by Rosie Scott and Jahmal Thomas, teenagers who had contributed to the project. Speakers included Professor Dian Donnai, who introduced Our Kid; Mike Deegan, who spoke about Manchester’s contribution to healthcare research and Professor Peter Clayton, who described the need to raise the profile of children’s health research. Channel M, Granada Reports and the Manchester Evening News reported on the event in the regional media.
The project also comprised several public events as part of the second Manchester Science Festival. Our flagship event ‘No jab, no school: When should the state dictate our health decisions?’was a lively debate chaired by BBC Radio 4’s Quentin Cooper at URBIS. Participants discussed Nowgen’s recent survey findings, which show that 35% of the UK public thinks that schools should have the right to exclude children who have not been vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).
Nowgen would like to acknowledge the help and support we received from Central Manchester and Manchester Children’s University Hospitals NHS Trust and University of Manchester members of staff. We thank the people who gave up their time for the project.
Our Kid will be displayed at Manchester Central Library until 29 November. Admission is free.
