Seeking Refuge by Carol

A project that shares the stories, memories and hopes of real and unique people.

Historically, through war, conflict and struggle, Documentary Art has been portrayed as a kind of talisman of truth; unflinchingly illustrating humanity’s efforts to pursue peace and resolution in the face of destruction and chaos. Photographs play a crucial part in articulating that notion. That is why the photographic series Seeking Refuge is so important. Through an unerring honesty, the series seeks to create and frame familiar fables of struggle, displacement and the search for security and safety.

Foreword

But this documentary series also offers hope.

In this beautiful work that follows, the words refugee, asylum seeker, migrant, have become obsolete. Instead we meet mothers, fathers, daughters, brothers, sons and daughters. We are all human, and regardless of race, nationality, religion or language, we are always able to find common ground should we want to. What follows are examples of what happens when you take the opportunity to connect with someone new, someone who may look different to you. As you will see, there is a lot to gain. The next time you have an opportunity to meet someone new, to make someone feel seen and listened to, to form a new connection, lean into it. Be curious. Ask questions. You never know where it might lead. I’m telling you, the possibilities of where this could take you are truly endless. Give it a try. You don’t need a photography project, you just need to lead with an open heart.

Hope that through escaping danger and finding asylum, refugees can be free to embrace that quintessentially human desire to shape and become a part of a rich new society which they can, in time, perhaps call ‘home’. Exploring this powerful series of images evokes a strong sense of origin and belonging – because where we come from is incredibly important to us all; but where we invent and build our futures is perhaps even more so.

PROFESSOR PAUL GOUGH

Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Arts University Bournemouth

Let the participants of this beautiful project inspire you...

JAZ O’HARA

Founder of The Worldwide Tribe an online community of people supporting refugees and asylum seekers globally.

Introduction By the end of 2019, there were nearly 26 million refugees in the world. It was a record number, and half were children. This was clearly a crucial issue. Yet the public dialogue about refugees in the wake of the Brexit debate, in both the press and in social media, produced more heat than light. I became increasingly determined to start a project to throw light on the lives of refugees and this exhibition of photographs is the beginning. Photographs remind us that refugees are real people. Unique people. Each with their own story, and their own lived experience. These photographs introduce us to seven people who left places as diverse as Syria, Venezuela and Sudan, where they had led lives as varied as a secondary school headteacher, a photographer with his own studio, and a student at school. The lives of these individuals are shown to us through the eyes of six photographers. Each photographer spent time creating a relationship with a person now living in Bournemouth. They talked together, walked together, ate together. During the time they spent together, the photographers learned about what people had needed to escape from, and what rich and full lives they had left behind. They learned about the real cost of seeking refuge. This is an exhibition based on real lives. It is my attempt to spread some light amongst the heat.

CAROLINE BEALE JOHNSON

ALA'A

photographed by CAROL JOHN

“When my grandparents were displaced from Palestine in 1948 they were farm workers and couldn't read or write but my mother was determined to change her life.

She and her brothers studied hard at the UN school and they were the first family in their village to go to university.

My mother has always said to me that studying and being a good person are the most important things in life… without these things you can’t move on.”

“I miss my family, and sharing the traditions we grew up with. We last got together for my brother’s wedding. At our weddings, the guests wear beautiful embroidered clothes, I wore this jacket and it always reminds me of my family and my country.”

“I like Palestinian food more than others but I also love fish and chips, mashed potatoes, English breakfast and cottage pie. I try to make everything for my children and not stick to my traditional food.”

“The UK feels like my home now, my favourite place that makes me relax is the beach, especially if I am stressed or missing my family. I love living in Bournemouth and I’m happy for my children to go to school here. I like that people respect individual differences and follow rules.”

“When my grandparents were displaced from Palestine in 1948 they were farm workers and couldn't read or write but my mother was determined to change her life. She and her brothers studied hard at the UN school and they were the first family in their village to go to university.”

“My favourite place that makes me relax is the beach, especially if I am stressed or missing my family. I love living in Bournemouth and I’m happy for my children to go to school here. I like that people respect individual differences and follow rules.”

Ala'a was born in Saudi Arabia but moved to Jordan to study pharmacy. Her husband was living and working in the UK and when they married she came here to be with him. They now have two sons.

She talked about her brother’s wedding and described how important it was for the women to wear embroidered clothes to weddings and festive events. When I saw the embroidery I wanted to highlight its beauty. She allowed me to borrow her jacket so that I could photograph it in different lights. I wanted to see the folds of the material with the sunlight picking out the detail of the stitching.

As we were restricted by lockdown rules I was initially concerned that we would not be able to build a relationship, but after chatting on WhatsApp we were able to meet outside and have coffee and talk about how we wanted to do the images. I was concerned with making sure I respected her culture. I really wanted her to be happy with my interpretation of her story and needed to know that she understood what the project was about. I did feel privileged to have this opportunity of hearing about her history and a way of life that I knew very little about before. We decided together to take the portraits on the beach as this is the place Ala'a feels most relaxed.

After a couple of meetings, Ala'a offered to cook me some Palestinian bread. We met on the beach for a picnic and I also cooked something. She had her eldest son with her that day and my daughter came along to help look after him while we chatted. It was a beautiful sunny day and we laid out our picnic of Welsh cakes and Manaqeesh and Mutabbaq za’atar bread on the sand. We had both made food from recipes passed down to us from our mothers. There is something about food that is so powerful: it is at the centre of all cultures and family gatherings. The food was a catalyst for our conversation to unfold around family, work, parenting and hopes for the future. Despite our differences I knew from our first meeting that we would find a common ground; that we are all just human, we can share food, we can feel joy and we can feel pain but mostly we all want in our lives to feel like we belong somewhere.

AMIR

photographed by CHARLIE HALL

“You look back at the dreams you had as a child. To be able to go to school. To be able to read and write and to play sport. I treasured the process of living these dreams and enabled me to get over the difficulty of everything I’d experienced.” 18

“For me my contentment is the key to my happiness, remembering where you were and where you are now gives me comfort that I can face any challenge.”

“Achieving my goals in life was unbelievable to the point where you actually doubt yourself and how you achieved them. You surprise yourself and what you can really accomplish when you put your mind to it.”

“Your success is determined by your state of mind, thinking about how you will achieve something as opposed to why you can’t.”

When I first met Amir I was nervous yet eager. We met at the beach, and I began to explain to him who I am and what the project is about. We ended up sitting on a bench for over 3 hours talking at length about his story and his outlook on life, and yet we'd only exchanged a few texts before meeting. I knew immediately that Amir was one of the most incredible individuals I’d ever met.

“The real journey starts when you settle. Now it isn’t about safety and hope it’s about life and what you’d like to get out of it. At this point you’re forced to decide. It’s like you’re reborn, a clean slate. For me it was my chance to create a new life, my own life.” I don’t often photograph people; my work is usually orientated around social documentary photography, typically looking at human traces in a landscape. So, working with an individual, especially someone I’ve never met before, was really exciting. When taking photographs of people I really like to engage with them before I even pick up the camera. Working with Amir was a real blessing as he was willing to get involved in the images. Amir took me to some locations in and around Poole, which were places that he used to visit when he was younger. One afternoon he took me to Pinecliff Gardens where I took his portrait. His back is turned to the sea and he is facing inland. He’s not turning his back on his family, but instead he’s looking towards the new challenges that await him.

Amir is from Kurdistan originally and came to the UK at 16 years old, leaving his parents behind. Amir tells me that his journey really started here. He couldn't read, write or speak English, but Amir has since attained his GCSEs, A levels, a degree and a master's degree. He has a home and a wonderful family that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. I was in awe of how much he had achieved despite how much he has been through. He’s been through things I could never imagine and has overcome every obstacle that he's faced.

“The journey, as hard as it was, wasn’t about endurance but about the outcome. Getting to safety. Looking to the future. Thinking of this better future helped me to endure this hardship.”

Often in the news we hear of refugee displacement, but hearing the stories first-hand is a completely different experience altogether. I have a much greater understanding of the lengths people will go to attain a safe and better life for themselves. I would love to continue working with Amir and bring the problems he’s faced, as well as the problems other refugees have faced, to the attention of many more people. The bond I’ve built with him is something I really cherish; the positive outlook he has on everything and everyone he meets has really rubbed off on me. Amir is a true inspiration for so many, me included.

Taking the photographs was so rewarding as I wanted to communicate Amir’s story, thoughts and feelings. Looking at the images I see the story of a man who has defied all odds and has made his home here.

HANH

photographed by GEORGE MAUND

“It is kind of oscillating, I still call Vietnam ‘home’ and have a wish of going back one day soon. But I have a full family here and when in Vietnam I miss England. And strangely there are moments when I feel strangers in both. So both places are home, and there isn’t a specific point when I feel ‘this is home’.”

“I could not help thinking of how short my life would be dying at eighteen. I did not have the energy to cry anymore. In times of extreme distress my thoughts would always turn to my family in Vietnam. I wondered what were they doing… would they miss me… did they know I was about to die?”

My normal work is focussed on youth culture and the young people and environment around me. The idea of this project was very daunting and however much research I did, and as much as I could try to understand what it was like from their point of view, I could never fully understand what it was like to be a refugee. When we first spoke, Hanh told me that she was wondering if her story was relevant now but I argued that it was more relevant because of the current discussions around refugees. Hanh came to the UK as a Vietnamese boat refugee in 1980 after the end of the Vietnam-American war when millions fled in fear of persecution. Hanh showed me letters and documents sent to and from her family in Vietnam. They were extremely moving. Hanh has written about her experience and she shared these words with me:

"40 years ago yesterday I was born again, a lifeless girl hoisted out of the broken boat adrift in the Java strait. 22 days lost at sea, twice attacked by pirates and nearly dead from hunger, death had tried to claim me once again but it didn’t succeed. The first taste of life was a wedge of a fresh orange that I swear tasted just like the first sip of milk from my mother’s breast. ABBA was playing Chiquitita on the deck of the tanker whose crew, in their compassion, had saved the refugees from the fate of death."

I didn't want to just go in and take photos of Hanh, but I really wanted it to be a collaborative effort between us. I wanted to create images to show her as a person who is very much part of the community. I saw these flowers that were in bloom and I thought it a way to show her personality without directly showing her. I like the stillness of the elegant flower and the portrait of Hanh sitting; you can tell that they are connected and that one feeds into the other. Hanh's story reveals how determined she was to pursue an education; not only has she become integrated into society, but she has had a successful career in banking technology, and is an advocate for cultural equality. I could tell that she wanted to prove that if you've been through these harrowing experiences you don't take anything for granted, but you do as much as you can to make a better life for yourself and for those around you. Working with Hanh showed me that there are always going to be refugees. The topic has recently been politicised and they are portrayed in a very negative light. However, deep down, they are human beings like any of us, who just happen to be in environments so hostile that they have to gamble with their lives to escape. That's why this project is so important because it shows that these are real people, each with a wholly individual story.

AHED

photographed by KITTY GALE

“I started to think about the challenges that we had faced. It was difficult to start a new life in different culture and to lose everything at the same time.”

“It was the feeling of someone who had been saved from drowning and woke up to find himself on the beach safe and in peace. I also felt happy to see my sons with their father again. At the same time, every thing looked strange and cool.” 36

“Anas loves football. He feels confident when he plays and he is determined to fulfil his dream to be a famous footballer.”

“Butterflies are the symbol of peace for me. They remind me of Spring, the beginning of a new blossomed life after tiredness. They are beautiful and I feel they are always happy when they go from one flower to another.”

“When I think of my parents I really feel sorry to leave them now when they need me and my help. I cry sometimes when I remember them.”

“Home for me is the place where we can live safely, get rested, bring up our children in peace. It is the place that we can fill with our touches, happiness and love which will enable us to carry on our life.”

We sit on the beach and she tells me her story.

I visit them at their home and meet the boys and Mazen. They are so kind. Ahed puts a box of chocolates down on the table next to me and says,

“These are all for you.” Ahed was born in Damascus Syria in the 1980s. She grew up there, and studied there, fulfilling her ambitions to teach English before becoming the principal of a secondary school in 2013. In 2015, after 5 years of war in Syria, her husband Mazen left and endured a 6 month journey, via Turkey and Calais, to reach the UK. He found them a safe home to rent in Bournemouth and Ahed and their two sons, Anas and Amjad, then 11 and 9, joined him. They had not seen their father for a year.

"I left my parents, my house, my achievements, my friends, my job and even my ambitions that I had worked hard to fulfil back in my country.” While I listen I am moved by her openness. She has a sense of calm about her that clashes intensely with the trauma she has experienced. I feel completely humbled by her strength, as a woman, a mother, a daughter, a sister. We take the photographs quietly afterwards and I ask her to think about Syria, her parents, all that she has left and lost. The quiet is comfortable and I notice how often she smiles. So much grace. Both boys started school just one month after arriving in Bournemouth. The boys used to get frightened whenever they heard an aeroplane and it took a long time for them to properly trust that they were safe.

It makes me smile. Anas, now 15, plays football for Christchurch. I ask if I can photograph the boys together outside, Anas wearing his Christchurch FC shirt. Amjad, now 13, disappears for a minute and then joins us in the garden wearing his Syria shirt. Back inside I notice there are lots of tiny butterflies decorating the walls of their home. Ahed tells me that back in Syria the walls of the school where she worked were riddled in bullet holes, and she used to decorate them with butterflies and flowers so that the children would feel happy when they arrived. Now, Ahed works for ICN as an interpreter. She wants to find a way back into teaching but explains how none of her qualifications translate to our education system and she doesn’t know where to begin. She also hopes to return to Syria one day. Working with Ahed has opened my eyes in a myriad of ways. I’ve confronted feelings of embarrassment and anxiety at my own privilege alongside a reverential respect for all that Ahed and her family have experienced, and that so many are still experiencing. It’s easy to simplify the word ‘refugee’ and we need to appreciate that every single person has their own unique story; not one of them should be generalised. People are unfathomably resilient. I feel very lucky to have met Ahed and her family. They’ve found a safe home here and the boys are well settled. They want to tell their story again and again in the hope that it might educate and inform others.

PILAR

photographed by LAUREN FORSTER

“We have a wonderful ability to adapt. I don't think about the geographical divisions, the countries. I only think of a wonderful God who created a perfect world for all of us to live in and be happy. Those small things and at the same time great things are what make us feel at home.”

“The world is a wonderful place where God placed us to be happy and appreciate all that is good.”

“I like to walk, see the sky, the trees, the sea, the sand, the mountains, the flowers, the sun or the rain, everything I see amazes me and breathe deeply while I thank God for life. Where do I belong? I belong wherever I am.”

“When you leave your country and leave your family, your heart is divided. Every time I hug my grandson, and feel the love and tenderness from him, I remember the reason for being here. I see that my children are doing well, that they are building a new path. But on the other side are my parents, my brothers, my nephews.”

Approximately 5 million Venezuelans have left the country in recent years; the exodus is one of the largest mass migrations in the world, fuelled by shortages of gas, food and medicines as well as violent repression by the government. As a result of the ongoing crisis, Pilar’s daughter, son-in-law and grandson were forced to leave the country; 7 months later Pilar joined them in the UK leaving everything behind; her house, car, possessions, the family business and most importantly, the rest of her family. Pilar has settled well in the UK, but naturally feels divided. In her words:

“When you leave your country and leave your family, your heart is divided. Every time I hug my grandson and feel the love and tenderness from him, I remember the reason for being here. Central to any work with people is building relationships. My practice usually involves me spending significant time developing relationships with my subjects, getting to know them personally and understand the issues that they are facing on an emotional level. Taking someone’s portrait is an intimate process, and you need to be able to connect with the person that you are photographing in order to have an emotional exchange.

Due to the pandemic, Pilar and I were unable to meet for some time, but this actually worked to our advantage in a way as we had time to connect and build up a trusting relationship. We spent time exchanging emails and these conversations are what led to the images that we made. I was able to understand her with a deeper sensitivity and awareness and I knew very early on that I wanted to capture the love that she has for her family. Pilar is a remarkable woman who is incredibly positive and strong. What has been clear to me throughout this process is the abundance of love that Pilar has for her family, and the sacrifices that have been made for a better life and opportunities. It may not be so important ‘where we have come from’ as much as ‘what we might become’. For Pilar, communities and home are not defined by borders or geographical divisions. In her words:

MOHAMED photographed by MATT TRAPP

“I miss my family and friends when I think of home.”

“I am studying English and Maths at college. In Sudan I was a mechanic, this is what I’m training to be here.” 56

“In Sudan, I was stuck in my house days on end, waiting for the fighting to stop so I could go out to get food and water.

The journey to the UK was hard, but I met a lot of people on the journey who I consider to be my friends, I don’t regret coming here. I will return home if the fighting stops, and it was safe to return.”

Mohamed Mohamed was a young mechanic in Sudan, driven out by the fighting. His journey here was hard and he left everything behind: home, friends, family. Fitting into and adapting to a different culture is hard, especially for someone so young. Mohamed is confident and didn’t need much directing. The portrait felt powerful when we shot it: Mohamed had to suppress so much through his childhood, but now looks away from what he has witnessed, and towards his own future free of fear. We shot the image of the windblown reeds in the direction of Mohamed’s home back in Sudan, thinking of the distance he'd had to travel to feel safe, something that we take for granted. It shows how far he is away from his family and loved ones.

I worked with two different men: Mohamed, who is a young man with his whole life ahead of him, and H, who was an established photographer in Syria. It was hard to communicate at times due to language barriers, but we still had a human connection through emotion and trust. No matter what language you speak you can still communicate in other ways. It’s natural for me to pick up a camera to capture and depict a situation rather than words: the picture is my language, photography is my way of expression.

“The journey to the UK was hard, but I met a lot of people who I consider to be my friends, I don’t regret coming here. I will return home if the fighting stops.”

The men really opened my eyes. I felt I had been naive and quite frankly unaware of the desperation of people seeking refuge in other countries. The trips they take are life-threatening; they have no other choice and have been forced out by war. You hear about it all the time on the news, but you don’t realise how serious it really is. 60

H "In 2015, I crossed the sea alone from Syria to Turkey in an inflatable boat, the boat had 46 people on it. The journey took 5 hours, water was coming over the sides and it was filling up slowly, I was scared it was going to sink."

“In 2013 someone broke into my photography studio in Syria, they stole my hard drive containing

H was a photographer back in Syria and we had an instant connection through our love for photography and cameras. Although he doesn't practice photography here and feels real sadness about that and the loss of his homeland, his family are finally safe and that's what matters to him.

all my images and memories, after that I started planning to leave, this made me really sad, when I think about this now, I cry.”

“In Syria I was a photographer, my dad was a photographer too, he taught me when I was 15. When coming to the U.K. I can’t get work as a photographer, so I have to find other jobs. I’m always thinking about my children’s future, not mine.” H's images were taken here in the UK and were chosen to reflect on his past and his future, and the desperation to flourish and survive. Life in Syria wasn’t the same after the war had started. He has a new safer chapter now, where he lives without constant fear of his family suffering.

Special Thanks There are always a large number of people upon whom a project like this depends and this is my opportunity to thank them all. A special thanks to ALL SEVEN OF THE REFUGEES who have shared their stories with us. CAROL MAUND Without her help and advice this would have not been possible. MEL KEROUR for her constant advice, support, and enthusiasm throughout this project. MEL, and ALL AT ICN, and CENAN, from The Red Cross, for introducing this project to all the wonderful individuals whom this work is about. ALL SIX PHOTOGRAPHERS who built relationships and bonds to create this collaborative sensitive work, not an easy thing to do with Covid lockdowns and restrictions. NELL LEYSHON for collaborating with the photographers on the text linked to the photographs in this catalogue. All the people involved in BOURNEMOUTH CITY OF SANCTUARY. BOURNEMOUTH EMERGING ARTISTS FRINGE for showing the exhibition at the 2021 Festival. THE ARTS UNIVERSITY OF BOURNEMOUTH for their contribution towards printing and production of this publication. JASON BASCOMBE for the expert printing and mounting of the exhibition. CHRISTINA FORMAN for the logo and design support.

Online show If you can't make it to the exhibition at BEAF you can explore the show online. Visit our online show at aub.ac.uk/seekingrefuge

LEE HARPER for all his helpful advice. 64

Seeking Refuge, published on the occasion of the exhibition at B.A.D. Boscombe Arts Depot 26 June – 4 July 2021 for the 2021 BEAF (Bournemouth Emerging Arts Fringe) Festival All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the prior knowledge of the copyright holder. © Images and text: Carol John, Charlie Hall, George Maund, H, Kitty Gale, Lauren Forster, Matt Trapp ISBN 978-1-9993796-2-9 Designed by Lauren Bowling | Arts University Bournemouth Edited by Caroline Beale Johnson 66

PB aub.ac.uk/seekingrefuge