https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-4000887400212447
NFA (No Fixed Abode) by Alison Little – Art Exploring Homelessness and Social Issue
NFA (No Fixed Abode) was created by Liverpool-based conceptual artist Alison Little for the Outside the Box exhibition, held in Manchester in November 2015 by Art with a Heart.
Alison Little is a Liverpool artist who works across the creative sector, producing thought-provoking sculpture and socially engaged artworks. Since graduating from Art College in 2002, she has developed a distinctive practice that highlights pressing social issues such as homelessness, mental health, and disability discrimination.
Her artistic journey began after working as a support worker with the homeless, an experience that deeply shaped her creative direction. Encountering both the degradation and resilience of individuals in crisis inspired her to give them a voice through art.
Over recent years, Little has produced a series of figure-based sculptural works using unconventional materials. She often works with polythene sheeting, fashioned into bag-like forms stuffed with shredded paper, incorporating written statements that connect directly to each theme.
- Bi Polar B (2014): Represented a female living with bipolar disorder, exhibited at the Williamson Gallery in Birkenhead for World Mental Health Day.
- Brain Scape (2015): A large sculptural head filled with statements on “Dignity in Mental Health,” exhibited at Unit 51 in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle.
- Disability Hate Crime Sculpture (2015): Commissioned by Spectrum D in Derby, featuring a fallen figure and a broken wheelchair, exhibited at the Guildhall Theatre to address disability hate crime.
For Outside the Box (2015), Alison Little presented NFA (No Fixed Abode). The installation featured a polythene figure form, filled with shredded paper, laid across an old blanket against a gallery wall. The figure was inscribed with words and phrases associated with homelessness: rough sleeper, squatter, night shelter, begging, in transit, drifter, vagabond, non-conformist, freedom.
This haunting work challenged audiences to reflect on the realities of those living without a permanent home, raising awareness of homelessness in the UK through contemporary art.
Leave a Reply