The Mirrorbox

Myalgic encephalomyelitis / Chronic fatigue syndrome is a neurological condition which affects more than 250,000 people in the UK and has a major impact on individuals’ health and life. At any one time, one in four of those with M.E. are affected so profoundly that they are housebound or bedbound.

M.E. can be caused by glandular fever, COVID-19 and other viral infections, but the precise trigger isn’t always identifiable. It leads to debilitating fatigue and pain, amongst other symptoms, and people with the condition are often unable to recover from the slightest exertion.

While some people with M.E. can make good progress, others battle illness for many years and sometimes never recover. Severe M.E. may lead to cognitive impairments. People may depend on a wheelchair for all movement and be unable to tolerate dim lighting or soft sounds. At the most severe end of the spectrum, people are unable to swallow and must be tube fed.

For more information on M.E., visit Action for M.E. and 25% M.E. Group.

A rapidly emerging condition caused by COVID-19 that is increasingly seen as a post-viral fatigue syndrome akin to M.E.. Last year, it was estimated that 1.3 million people in the UK – over 2% of the population – were living with Long Covid symptoms.

Long Covid has a wide range of symptoms that may arise due to virus-induced organ infection. Many of these symptoms align with those experienced by people with ME/CFS

For more information on Long Covid, visit Long COVID SOS and Long COVID Support.

I Would Be Here If I Could was developed from the experiences of its creator, Alison Larkman, who lives with M.E.. However, the project is also open to other people with health conditions that separate them from their former lives.

The mirrors reflect the environment around the box and, at times, the box will appear almost invisible. When people step inside, they will also temporarily disappear from view. Both concepts reinforce the message that people with M.E. and Long Covid are often out of sight and mind.

At two metres tall by 1.5 metres why, the mirrorbox is big enough to stand in. Made of two-way mirrored acrylic, those stood inside the box will be able to see outside, while those outside will only see their own reflections or the silhouettes of anyone inside. The box has been designed to be taken apart and reconstructed in locations from small rooms to open mountaintops.

The box is well ventilated and, along with the headset, will be cleaned between visitors. The project will conform with all applicable recommendations at the time of each visit.

At each location, visitors will be able to listen to the message using a supplied headset and read the transcription on a tablet.

Yes. All messages sent to the project are available to hear on this website alongside complete transcripts.

Initial messages were received between July and November 2023, and the project intends to accept more messages once additional funding is in place. These messages can be sent by anyone with M.E., Long Covid or other health conditions that prevent them getting to the places that are special to them. To find out when the project will reopen for further messages and to receive other updates, please join our mailing list

M.E. and Long Covid are hard-to-manage conditions with fluctuating symptoms. As such, anyone living with them may go through periods of being unable or able to travel. Everyone with experience of a health condition preventing them from reaching a special place is invited to take part in regardless of the current state of their health.

This website will continue to host all the received messages for some time after the project finishes. We will make a decision how best to archive the messages and the project at that time.

Once completed, the hope is that another country will take on the mirrorbox and amplify the absence of chronically ill and socially invisible people living there.

I Would Be Here If I Could has been developed by Alison Larkman, a Bristol-based artist living with life-altering M.E. The project is now operated through Invisible Visible CIC (UK company number 15705730), a not-for-profit company established for this purpose.

I Would Be Here If I Could is currently looking for support from businesses and organisations to facilitate the mirrorbox’s journey and to sponsor the map.

Financial donations and sponsorship collaborations would be warmly welcomed, as would in-kind donations from companies able to help with the logistical challenge of moving a mirrorbox around the country, often to remote destinations.

Perhaps you’re interested in helping out through a team-building day or corporate volunteering? The project is open to all offers of support and happy to consider innovative suggestions!

If you would like to help, even if you don’t know how, please get in touch.