The Magic Money Tree is on display across the outdoor stands between MPF and The RPS for BOP 24.

Kirsty Mackay has been working collaboratively with communities across England, documenting the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and the realities of poverty in the world’s 6th largest economy.

She has worked closely with children, families and youth groups, primarily in Tipton, Bristol and the North-East of England, to help develop skills in photography, issuing them with compact film cameras and encouraging them to consider the power of their own voice and how to use it.

Their narrative is one told through photography, text and banners, collectively questioning – to what extent is poverty a political choice?

This work has resulted in the work The Magic Money Tree, published by Bluecoat Press, 2024.