A ground-breaking exhibition exploring stories and the impact of suicide is to open in Liverpool’s historic Cunard Building this September.
Developed in collaboration with Merseyside-based community arts organisation Heart of Glass, Close to Home is an act of witness, inviting audiences into a space of contemplation, reflection, and quiet assembly.
Built upon lived and living experience of suicidal thoughts and attempts, and of bereavement by suicide, the project has been created by award-winning artist Mark Storor as an integral part of the collaborative arts project, The Suicide Chronicles.
Taking place between 3 September and 10 October 2026, the programme includes World Suicide Prevention Day (10 Sept) and World Mental Health Day (10 Oct).
A Philosophical Space for Reflection
Close to Home brings together more than seven years’ work by Mark, in collaboration with communities and individuals across England, Ireland, and Wales.
The artist’s process aims to create a philosophical space that expresses the unsayable around an issue that often exists in silence, while honouring the experiences of those lost.
Patrick Fox, CEO of Heart of Glass, said:
“When we started the project with Mark in 2018, we had no expectation of how long it would last or where it would take us.
“We quickly realised after the first Chronicle this was an artistic interrogation we had to carry forward to encompass as many voices and experiences as possible, to give them the time and space to be seen and heard.”
The project originally launched in response to St Helens having the highest suicide rate in England and Wales in 2018.
The Chronicles bring together multiple perspectives, including women bereaved by the suicide of partners, farmers, first responders, and the intergenerational impact of teen suicide on a community.
Multifaceted Residency in an Iconic Setting
The residency in the Cunard Building will be animated through live performance, poetry, music, film, digital installations, sculptures, animation, and photography.
Mark Storor described the significance of the upcoming display:
“Close to Home will bring all six Chronicles into one space, addressing together, for the first time, what is happening in our communities as the result of suicide.
“Like suicide, Close to Home is not an end but part of a continuum.
“The courage to meet the stark realities of suicide head on began in St Helens and gained momentum; a ripple effect generated through the numerous stories I am humbled to have had shared with me.”
During the six-week residency, the Chronicles will evolve further through a programme of performances and conversations.
Plans are also in place to create city-wide conversations and provide access to support for those who need it.
The exhibition is presented in partnership with Liverpool City Council, Culture Liverpool, and Public Health Liverpool.
Councillor Harry Doyle, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture, said:
“Suicide remains a public health priority for Liverpool and our prevention work continues to grow, but the fact that we still don’t talk openly about suicide and it remains a ‘taboo’ subject is one of the biggest challenges in our work.
“By collaborating with partners on projects like Close to Home, we can use the power of art and culture to break down barriers and bring our communities together to learn and reflect, create space for important conversations, and provide access to support for those that need it.”
