A place along the way: Stories from the Island of Samos
Samos is a beautiful Greek island in the Aegean that, at its closest point, is situated less than 2 kilometres from the coastline of Türkiye. It is described by many as a ‘magical place’, a place of nature, of calm, of beautiful blue seas and rugged mountains, of greenery and beaches, a place of spirituality that invokes a feeling of peace in people, many of whom feel compelled to stay. It is also a place of arrival and of refuge. Its location so close to Türkiye has meant that in recent years it has become known internationally for its role in the arrival of people seeking asylum in Greece and the broader European Union.
Telling stories has a profound impact, humanising and deepening understanding of the reality of borders and displacement beyond the representation of ‘crisis’. This project focuses geographically on the island of Samos and includes the creation of an audio-visual exhibition documenting changes faced by displaced people, the local community, NGOs, and camp staff over the last 6 years through the combination of photos and interviews. In addition to this the interviews will also be developed into a podcast that explores chance meetings that occur on the island. Interviews for both the audio elements of the exhibition and in the podcast are with people from different demographics with different narratives; a local, a refugee who lived in one of the camps, a humanitarian, a tourist.
In Samos these different lives intersected, facing very different challenges and interactions with borders. They also shared a moment in their lives together. Exploring this tells a very different story about spaces and places of arrival at Europe’s borders than the media, or statistics can tell.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
A place along the way is a collaborative project funded by the AHRC Impact Accelerator Funding. The project team are Dr Gemma Bird, Simone van den Akker and Andrew Foreman. The project, which began in January 2024, includes the delivery of 4 audio visual exhibitions in Liverpool, Samos and Athens as well as a panel as part of the festival of social sciences.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Panel Discussion at Papercup Coffee 6pm
Hosted by the University of Liverpool as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2024 and made possible thanks to funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
EXHIBITION DETAILS
This exhibition explores stories from the island through photographs collected between 2018 and 2024 and interviews with people whose lives have become a part of the story of the island. Whether they moved to Samos for love, for recovery, to claim refuge, to offer support to people on the move, to re-engage with their family roots or simply to visit this beautiful place, we explore how their lives have intersected, evolved, and intertwined over weeks, months, years and decades.
This project is organised by Gemma Bird, Andrew Foreman & Simone van den Akker. With thanks to all those who shared their time and stories with us, and to Samos Volunteers and Amnesty International for collaborating with us. We look forward to welcoming everyone for a walk through the many lives of Samos.
Upcoming display dates
Tuesday 22nd October - Saturday 26th October - Papercup Coffee (during Cafe opening hours) Liverpool, visit their website here.
Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th November - Romantso, Anaxagora 3-5, Athens, 10552, information here
Previous Display Dates
Friday 23rd August 1pm – Vathi Library
Friday 30th August 1pm – Alpha Land