Lonely Together

Following the success of London is Lonely, Darling Quarter will play host to an immersive street exhibition tackling loneliness. 

Lonely Together is an immersive street exhibition that will use photographs and audio stories of everyday Australians to break down the stigma and shame that comes with expressing loneliness. 

Supported by the The Salvation Army, Lendlease and Darling Quarter, Lonely Together creates space for listening, talking openly without judgment, and reconnecting through truth, vulnerability, and collective storytelling. Patrons will walk through Darling Quarter and observe beautiful imagery, photographed by Anna Hay, while listening to audio stories of people who have felt or feel lonely, produced by Tessa Blencowe. Part of the experience of Lonely Together, is being invited to write down your own story once you have listened to others.

Lonely Together artist and counsellor, Tessa Blencowe, explains: “Loneliness affects us all, regardless of our age, or how many friends we have. The more we allow ourselves to open up, the easier it is to see and reach for the help and support that is out there. Sometimes just having an honest conversation is all we really need to feel less lonely.”

The exhibition is the second in a series, with the highly acclaimed London is Lonely premiering in the United Kingdom in 2019, also curated by Tessa Blencowe alongside Spanish photographer, Irene Palacio. The London exhibition had a profound impact on attendees and their attitudes towards loneliness.

1 in 4 Australians are lonely, but loneliness remains a taboo subject in many social circles. A 2021 survey by headspace revealed that 54% of young people feel a sense of loneliness, with 47% feeling left out and 43% feeling isolated.  

In an Impact Management Survey conducted in 2019 with attendees of London is Lonely, 62% of respondents said that they had hardly ever or never spoken about loneliness prior to attending the exhibition. 98% of respondents said they spoke about loneliness to one or more people following their visit to the exhibition. 93% said they were more likely to speak up about their own feelings of loneliness after hearing other people’s stories.

Darling Quarter Marketing Manager, Adelaide Dias, said, “Lonely Together will be such a moving exhibition, and we feel honoured to be able to host these incredible images and stories at Darling Quarter.”

“While the subjects in the images have shared their stories, the audio clips are anonymous – so attendees can listen without any pre-conceived ideas about the authors. We think it’s going to be such a beautiful way for the community to connect, which is now more important than ever.”

Lonely Together will be open from October 3 to October 27, 2022.