About the Campaign
Hidden By Things is a unique digital community campaign to raise awareness of collecting and hoarding behaviours. Using digital storytelling to look at how possessions shape us as people, and how to declutter in a positive way. We hope to enable people to share their social history and create connections across the world.
The stories can be anything, from a dream a person attaches to an item, a memory, anecdote, or anything special they want to share.
We want to hear from you and share the story behind your clothing. Once the story and photo has been received, you’ll be sent a fabric label linking to the Hidden By Things campaign to hand sew into the item. Finally, take it to a charity shop, or sell it yourself and if you have social media use the hashtag #HiddenByThings and tell us where you’ve left the item.
We will also be holding in-person events, where you can bring pieces to donate with a story. We’ll share details on our social media.
About the Campaign
Hidden By Things is a unique digital community campaign to raise awareness of collecting and hoarding behaviours. Using digital storytelling to look at how possessions shape us as people, and how to declutter in a positive way. We hope to enable people to share their social history and create connections across the world.
The stories can be anything, from a dream a person attaches to an item, a memory, anecdote, or anything special they want to share.
We want to hear from you and share the story behind your clothing. Once the story and photo has been received, you’ll be sent a fabric label linking to the Hidden By Things campaign to hand sew into the item. Finally, take it to a charity shop, or sell it yourself and if you have social media use the hashtag #HiddenByThings and tell us where you’ve left the item.
We will also be holding in-person events, where you can bring pieces to donate with a story. We’ll share details on our social media.
Inspiration Behind The Campaign
In 2021, Laura Horton – writer and campaign founder – was approached by Theatre Royal Plymouth to stage three twenty-minute plays. One of these was a very personal play about a woman moving back to Devon and struggling to navigate dating as a hoarder. The reaction to this piece was really powerful, many people approached Laura to say they thought they might hoard, or knew people who did.
She developed the piece as a sixty-minute monologue, changing the name to Breathless – which for her encompassed the feelings of suffocation and elation that come with compulsive behaviour.
Breathless inspired the idea behind the Hidden By Things campaign and podcast series. The play will tour in 2023, including a run at Soho Theatre from 7- 18 February.
Image credit: Dom Moore
The media presents stereotypical depictions of hoarding which psychological studies say not only stigmatises, but harms people. This campaign aims destigmatise hoarding behaviours and create a positive network, where people can feel empowered to share stories and declutter."
Charity Partners
We are proud to be supported by Hoarding UK and Shekinah Mission, Plymouth.
Hoarding UK
The charity offers support for everyone as 'in short, Hoarding Disorder is found across all ages, ethnicities, genders, religions, education levels, sexualities, etc. It is a stereotype to associate hoarding tendencies with older people.
Shekinah
Shekinah supports people to make meaningful changes in their lives and receive specialist support to address any health issues, find and support you in a home of your own and learn new skills.
If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised by the campaign, please contact Hoarding UK for help and support.
The Team
Laura Horton - Founder
Laura is a writer and the current Plymouth Laureate of Words, the first woman and playwright in the role.
Her first play Labyrinth Diet at The Space won an OFFCOMM award. Her second play Breathless, co-produced by Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP), won the Pleasance, TRP Partnership and at Edinburgh Fringe won a Fringe First and was a finalist in the Popcorn, BBC Writer’s Room award and shortlisted for the Holden Street and Scottish Mental Health Awards. The play will tour in 2023, including a run at Soho Theatre from 7- 18 February. Short plays include: Giddy Tuppy, TRP and The Space; Bloody Men, Minituarists at The Arcola and TRP; This I Believe, Downstage Write at Exeter Phoenix and TRP. In 2020 she wrote and produced a short film, A Summer of Birds, for Plymouth Fringe, the film won the Toast of the Fringe award.
She listed in The Stage 100 in 2021 for her work lobbying and campaigning with her project Theatre Stories, which seeks to change public perceptions about who theatre is for.
She is currently on commission with Theatre Royal Plymouth. She has written journalistically for Vogue, The Guardian, The i and Huffington Post.
Laura Carey - Project Assistant
Laura’s broad skills and interests have led her to work across freelance projects in the arts andcorporate environments. She has worked as a content producer for Act Up, designing creative workshops for actors and writers who are underrepresented in the arts. As an assistant producer, Laura has worked with artists and theatre makers on R&D projects across dance and theatre and sharings of the work have been at Sadler’s Wells and ETT. Previously, Laura co- hosted a community radio show about creative and cultural things to do in London on a budget for OnFm.
If you’re a fashion house, charity, social enterprise or sustainable company and would like to be involved in the campaign on a larger corporate scale, please email the team on hiddenbythings@gmail.com