Graffiti on wall

Refugee Journeys

This installation brought together key findings from the #IR_Aesthetics fieldwork projects of 2017 and 2018 in Serbia and Greece, raising questions about the lived experiences of refugees on the Balkan Migration Route and engaging participants with a range of activities to help them think more deeply about what it means to be a refugee fleeing persecution.

At the Tate Exchange space from 12 – 18 November 2018 guests had the opportunity to speak with the academics responsible for the project; engage with panel discussions including academics and activists; view and respond to a photographic display shot over the two year fieldwork period; watch short films from the project; involve themselves in a quilting project intended to commemorate the week and the views of participants; get involved in online discussions and read and discuss children’s books and young adult novels telling the stories of child refugees.

Through this immersive experience, we were able to open up discussions and debates about the refugee experience, the theme of movement and the notion of transcending borders and to help people to think more deeply about what it means to be a refugee in the modern world.

This project is presented by Gemma Bird and associates, part of the University of Liverpool's Europe and the World Centre. Find out more here.

Further resources

There have been several publications related to this activity:

The ‘Badlands’ of the ‘Balkan Route’: Policy and Spatial Effects on Urban Refugee Housing
 
 
 
You can keep up to date with the project and explore their other exhibitions in Toronto, Milan and Orebro on Twitter at @IR_Aesthetics

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