REMAPPING EUROPE Films & Performances
View all films at www.remappingeurope.eu
Doc Next Network is a collective of researchers, programmers, educators and innovators. It strives for social justice and inclusive public opinion in Europe, through a common methodology that supports the ideas of open access, free culture and expanded education in which (digital) media plays a crucial role. The network consists of the Association of the Creative Initiatives ‘ę’ (Poland), Future Film of the British Film Institute (UK), MODE Istanbul (Turkey) and ZEMOS98 (Spain). The network is facilitated by the European Cultural Foundation (ECF). www.docnextnetwork.org
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CONTENTS Vocabulary of Remapping Europe – A Remix Project > p. 5 Remapping Europe – A Remix Project Highlighting the Migrant’s Perspective > p. 6 REMAPPING EUROPE REMIX WORKS POLAND (PL) Warsaw > p. 8 Lublin > p. 24 SPAIN (ES) Seville > p. 40 TURKEY (TR) Istanbul > p. 65 UNITED KINGDOM (UK) London > p. 98 Partner organisations of the remix ateliers > p. 113 EUROPEAN SOUVENIRS – A live-cinema performance and artist collective > p. 114 Credits and acknowledgements > p. 123 Available resources > p. 127
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VOCABULARY OF REMAPPING EUROPE – A REMIX PROJECT Imagery
The collective of existing and prevailing ideas, assumptions, opinions by individuals brought into one of (im)migrants, mostly as brought to the public opinion via (mass) media. Migrants / Communities
Migration is a theme of the project and migrants are the storytellers. Migration and migrants as a topic entails discussions on borders, multiculturalism, communities, integration, neighbourhoods in Poland, Turkey, Spain and the UK. (Self-)representation
The public expression through D-I-Y media of the personal insight or story, vision or characteristics in the project by young people with a migrant background or experience of migration. (Re)mapping
In the most abstract sense, re-mapping refers to conceptualising, re-thinking and challenging existing notions of ‘borders’, in an attempt to imagine alternative narratives that are more inclusive to the perceptions of migrants. In a more specific sense, re-mapping also refers to the making of a new map, in order to visualise things that are usually hidden or invisible. Media
“The Media” most of the time refers to the mass media, as a platform for public debate and opinion making and influencing public opinion. It also refers to a topic for investigation and the subject of critique for this artistic and investigative remix project. Remix
Political or subversive video remixes are the personal statements by the project’s media-makers. Remix is considered both a tool as well as a cultural framework. Remix is the technique of re-cutting existing footage from (mainstream) media archives such as news outlets or Hollywood movies into the makers’ own story, often criticising the used footage and the messages it sends. Cartography
Anything to do with the making of maps, especially within a political or subversive context. The notion of critical cartography says that the making of maps is in itself a political act.
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Remapping Europe –
A Remix Project Highlighting the Migrant’s Perspective ‘Remix’ is considered as a cultural phenomenon in which existing audio-visual material and images are framed into a new context – introducing new meanings that reveal our way of understanding the past related to the present, and casting the future. In April 2012, the Doc Next Network embarked on a challenging two-year project called Remapping Europe – A Remix Project Highlighting the Migrant’s Perspective. A collaboration between the cultural hubs The Association of the Creative Initiatives ‘ę’, ZEMOS98, MODE Istanbul, the BFI’s Future Film Programme and the European Cultural Foundation, this ambitious investigative artistic project introduced a new way of working and incorporated innovative methodologies across sectors, as well as a series of activities that stem from one underlying principle: re-mixing of media as a method to re-view, re-investigate and re-consider the prevailing imagery of migrants in European societies. The starting point for Remapping Europe is the acknowledgement of the value of selfrepresentation by young migrants in the media in particular and public discourse in general. It is important to shed an alternative light on the prevailing imagery of immigrants in contemporary Europe, as provided by the mainstream cultural, media and political establishment. Still largely influenced by ‘traditional’ media, such as public and commercial TV, radio and newspapers, notions of migrants in the current public debate are often prejudiced, generalised and categorised along ethnic, religious or geo-political lines and concerns. The specific local and personal perspectives of immigrants are lacking and important country- or region-specific migration contexts are not nuanced. Remapping Europe strives to question and debate this from the perspective of migrants from local communities in Spain, Poland, Turkey and the UK. The project takes as its starting point Doc Next Network’s ongoing principle and advocacy for a more inclusive public opinion and debate in Europe from the point of view of social justice, expanded education and free culture. As part of their local and international Media Labs, the Doc Next Network’s cultural hubs are experienced and passionate about bringing in fresh talent with an interest in media and critical discourse. However, the need for the project arose from a joint effort to provide wider access to young migrants and internal migrants in the specific local communities of Seville, Istanbul, London, Warsaw and Lublin in Poland. A total of 53 media-makers with a personal migrant background or story have engaged in five ateliers in which they remixed the existing portrayal of migrants in their specific European context. Working with them, gaining inspiration, new insights and important visions would not have happened without the thought-provoking and stimulating collaborations with local associations working with migrant communities – Office of Social
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Rights ODS (Seville), Homo Faber (Lublin), İstanbul Bilgi University Migration Research Center and Tarlabaşı Community Center in (Istanbul) and Refugee Youth (London). Developing cross-cultural and sustainable ties with socially active organisations has become integral to the way that the Doc Next Network works. The project activities include five creative remix ateliers, screenings of 48 remix movies at international festivals and the online Doc Next Network Media Collection, two live-cinema performances and a European tour by European Souvenirs in collaboration with The Light Surgeons, a seminar bringing together thinkers, artists and activists at the ZEMOS98 Festival in April 2014. It also includes an investigative publication called Remixing Europe. Migrants, Media, Representation, Imagery with the perspectives of European thinkers and artists on media, imagery and migrants in Europe. This catalogue celebrates all the works that have been made by the young mediamakers involved throughout the project. Doc Next Network is proud to present their vision of Europe: their remixes create a new imagery of migrants. Together, they have re-mapped Europe: a thought-provoking alternative imagery and new mental map of Europe, contesting borders between countries and continents but also within countries. An important result of the project is the archival and creative exposure of present-day perspectives of young citizens on (im)migration, as captured in the creative media. It contributes to Europe’s cultural heritage and we consider it a future point of reference in our European collective memory. Finally, the combination of practice and the grassroots work of migrant associations and of the cultural organisations in the Doc Next Network, capturing the views of the young media-makers, as well as the academic field that is involved, brings together many different sectors of society in an effort to redefine and remap Europe in an inclusive way by linking all these different sources of knowledge. We will carry on this debate by continuing to deconstruct prevailing imageries of migrants and trying to be sensitive to the ‘other’ perspective – the one that is so often not visible – the self-representation and the story of the migrants themselves. Efforts to include these perspectives in the mainstream media and public debate remain crucial if we are really committed to working towards an open, democratic and transparent Europe. Vivian Paulissen Programme Manager, European Cultural Foundation, on behalf of Doc Next Network
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PL WARSAW
Remapping Europe remix ateliers in Poland
The Warsaw case: family stories and migration as a choice In the Remapping Europe remix atelier that took place from 11-13 January and 30 January to 3 February 2013 in Warsaw, we worked with seven young visual artists who were all migrants themselves, or people who had experienced migration in their lives. For most of them, the notion of ‘migration’ seemed to be related to a conscious and free choice – although for some of their parents, that was not necessarily the case. The atelier participants perceived their identity in relation to being a migrant, as something that is connected to travel in search of their own roots and a better education. Some of the media-makers involved in the atelier had also experienced migration through relationships with partners or friends. The seven stories created in Warsaw are personal reflections – like the story of a Macedonian husband who is trying to become a legal citizen. Or the Vietnamese father who migrated to Poland to escape his country’s repressive regime. Or the Polish mother who, as a singer, ran away to France just before martial law was imposed. The remixes made in Warsaw are a patchwork of images that paint a picture of the diverse migrant experiences in Poland. Dorota Borodaj The Association of the Creative Initiatives ‘ę’ for Doc Next Network
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NATALIA NGUYEN VIET Poland, 2013, 6 min 28 sec
“Why did you decide to stay in Poland, dad?” A daughter is asking her Vietnamese father about his first years in Poland, in the midst of the communist era: about his first snow, family letters and about the moment he decided not to go back. This video is like a personal and intimate family album.
“I am half Polish and half Vietnamese. My father came to study in Poland in the 70s, thanks to the Polish aid during the war with the USA in the 60s. Two totally different cultures were present in my life from the earliest days of my existence. It caused a number of different misunderstandings, sometimes absurd situations based on cultural differences and communication problems. Somewhere deep inside I feel connected with Vietnam, even though I only went there once for a month. I try to cover for that by my Polish-Vietnamese integration workshops. Searching for one’s identity on the borderline of different cultures, moving borders – these are very personal matters to me. I decided to create a short film based on an autobiographical plot that starts with my dad’s arrival in Poland.” Natalia Nguyen Graduated from the Faculty of Graphic Arts and Media Art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw. Animator and working in children’s arts education (animation and theatre workshops).
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MAGDA PYTLAKOWSKA MIŃSK, VIDEOPRZEWODNIK (Minsk, a video guide) Poland, 2013, 1 min 54 sec
This film is not what it seems to be. It looks like a promotional commercial to lure tourists to the capital of Belarus, but instead the host invites us to visit places related to the ruthless Lukashenka regime. The maker, who works at an independent Belarusian TV broadcaster, uses archive footage to offer a (wrong-headed) portrait of the city.
“Most of my colleagues and friends are Belarusians. Many of them had to leave their country for political reasons. I live my life in a multicultural environment of two nationalities and three languages – and all this without leaving my hometown. Being a part of this project was a rare opportunity to discuss issues like identity, nationality, citizenship, and history… I’ve found my new, personal map of Europe. Without borders, full of emotional stories, pictures from childhood and private memories.” Magda Pytlakowska Studied Polish and Belarusian at the University of Warsaw. Now working for Belsat, a Belarusian TV broadcaster in Poland, and for the Free Belarus Initiative.
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ANAHITA REZAEI OJCZYZNY (Homelands) Poland, 2013, 7 min 42 sec
“What did you have for lunch in school today?” her father asks 3-year-old Anahita. “Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes”, Anahita replies. The maker uses her father’s home videos to protest against having to choose just one motherland. Her family moved from Iran to Warsaw in the 1980s, then back to Iran, and after another dozen years, to Poland once again. To Anahita, both countries are home.
“My name doesn’t suggest that I have anything in common with Poland but well, I do. My parents are Iranian and so am I, but I was born in Warsaw. This caused some kind of confusion about belonging: having roots in Asia, living and studying in Europe… Each of the participants of the Remapping Europe project has different experiences and thoughts about where they really come from. Are European borders merely geographical or are borders really in our behaviour and the way we think? I think that’s what we are trying to find an answer to when expressing ourselves.” Anahita Rezaei About to finish a BA degree in New Media Art this year. Work was shown at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music and the Łódź FotoFestiwal in 2012. Awarded a scholarship by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education in 2013.
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MARIA STAFYNIAK WITAJ W ŚWICIE POKOJU, MARZEŃ I MIŁOŚCI (Welcome to the World of Peace, Dream and Love) Poland, 2013, 11 min 41 sec
Krzysztof writes in his lonely hearts ad: “53 yrs, 177 cm, higher education, friendly, appreciates traditional values…” This film is a video installation about the search for love in India and Poland. Distant continents can share universal values.
“I am half Ukrainian and half Lemko. Sometimes I feel the story of my roots is a unique treasure, but when I was a child it was not in a good tone to claim about Ukrainian roots. When I was growing up, I felt suffocated in the tightening circle of the tiny Ukrainian society of my hometown. I was oscillating between oppression and uniqueness. Today I feel neither totally Polish nor Ukrainian. I went to India for almost two months, an experience almost impossible to grasp – I went there to face events that just couldn’t happen here in Poland. On the other hand sometimes I was completely fed up with many things there. Somehow my trip had the same potential of ambiguity as my approach to my Ukrainian roots.” Maria Stafyniak Visual artist, cultural animator and art educator. Exploring the language of culture, using drawing, photography, installation and video. Graduate of the University of Fine Arts in Poznan. Co-founder of Taming Arts Association, whose main purpose is education through art and democratising creativity.
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DAVID SYPNIEWSKI NIGDZIE (Nowhere) Poland, 2013, 6 min 6 sec
Once you become a migrant, you stay a migrant. David, the son of a Polish singer, was born in Paris. He is searching for his roots and for himself. “When I was a child, I thought of myself as French. I forbade my parents to address me in Polish.”
“My parents are from Poland, but I was born in France. My family left their country because of the political situation. I have two passports. The topic of the Remapping Europe project seems a perfect fit with my life. My changing identity results from the political changes in Europe. I have the feeling that I’m still evolving with the continent. At the same time, my life began with films, because my parents met in the film school in Poland. The project gives me the opportunity to work on a very personal subject. I have chosen to make a clip about my mother who was a film director and a politically engaged singer.” David Sypniewski Degree in cultural animation (University of Warsaw) and intercultural dialogue (INALCO, Paris). Cultural animator or, if you prefer, a community artist. Has film, theatre, singing, stilt walking, photos, tolerance and gender training in his toolbox.
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ALICJA PLACHÓWNA-VASILEVSKA DOWÓD (Proof) Poland, 2013, 6 min 4 sec
When Alicja and her Macedonian husband Boyan wanted to settle, they had to take an exam to prove their true love, so Boyan could legally stay in Poland. “Does he take sugar in his tea? What colour is your wife’s toothbrush? Which side of the bed does he sleep on?”
“During my studies I’ve spent one year in Scotland. I worked at a hotel, in a restaurant and in various factories. I met many migrants from Eastern Europe and from all over the world. The idea of Remapping Europe is interesting to me and I find it refreshing and valuable to meet others with experiences, emotions and views on Europe and borders. I’d like to compare our stories and learn.” Alicja Plachówna-Vasilevska Degree in Applied Social Sciences at the University of Warsaw, currently career counsellor. Engaged in local culture, activism, social issues and artistic projects.
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MICHALINA MUSIELAK IMA POLANIJA (Ima Polaniya) Poland, 2013, 6 min 38 sec
“Who is Israel’s mother” – this question is asked by Michalina Musielak in her video dedicated to Ima Polaniya. Israel is a country composed of only immigrants. Polish people were a huge part of this, which was caused by the trauma of World War 2, antisemitism and discrimination against Polish Jews in the newly created state. Ima Polaniya is a living stereotype of the overprotective mother. It combines all the problems and conflicts that trouble Israel deep inside.
“When attending a Jewish school, I regretted not having any Semitic blood; not even a Jewish great-grandfather. I am connected to the Polish countryside, to the Polish city and to the Polish mentality but am not settled in anything definite. I am always looking for the differences. I live off other people’s stories. I am not so interested in wise words and theories, more in daily stories, their nature and the people that I meet. I cannot resist remixing what used to be tightly joined, exploring the sphere of Judaeo-Christian culture.” Michalina Musielak New media studies and documentary studies at the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of Warsaw. Strong interest in how Polish people cope with the Jewish topic in the local context.
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PL LUBLIN
Remapping Europe remix ateliers in Poland The Lublin case: borderland stories
After the atelier in Warsaw, the urge to discover more migration stories in Poland was inspired by events in the Polish-Ukrainian borderland city of Lublin. The previous year, female Ukrainian domestic workers in Poland had become the subject of a series of unrefined jokes in the Polish media (for more on this incident, see the publication Remixing Europe that is also part of the Remapping Europe – A Remix project). Many foreigners study in the city and it is home to refugee camps for people from Chechnya and other neighbouring countries. The region also bears the memories and marks of a multiculturalism that was destroyed during the Second World War and afterwards during the Communist era. In close collaboration with the NGO Homo Faber, a second atelier focused on the imagery of eastern neighbours and immigrants in Poland. The young people who took part in the atelier were students and residents of border villages and were interested in the specific local context and Polish eastern neighbourhood. Together with the media-makers from Warsaw, they worked with existing imagery of Ukrainians in Poland to create seven new remix videos. These borderland stories include a smuggler’s manual, a street poll revealing the opinions of local Lubliners on Ukrainians, and the story of Oleksandr, a Ukrainian student who couldn’t attend the atelier because he couldn’t get a visa to travel to Poland. His voice was dearly missed at the atelier. And Oleksandr’s story is just one of the many missing stories we need to tell about migrant’s lives in Poland. Dorota Borodaj The Association of the Creative Initiatives ‘ę’ for Doc Next Network
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SEVERAL FILM-MAKERS TARG NA RUSKIEJ (The Ruska Street Market) Poland, 2013, 4 min 48 sec
The Ruska Street Market in Lublin is close to the Ukrainian border. Every Lublin housewife knows the recipe for “pierogi ruskie� (Russian dumplings) and Ukrainian borscht. But these Polish dishes are prepared differently in Russia and the Ukraine.
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KRZYSZTOF JANIAK MOJA UKRAINKA (My Ukrainian) Poland, 2013, 3 min 58 sec
Want to know which product to buy? Looking for holiday advice? Ask the masses on the Internet. On Polish online forums, people are also discussing Ukrainian housekeepers. This remix questions the anonymity of employers.
“My remix is about Ukrainian women who come to Poland to earn a living as house help. It is based on real posts found on Polish Internet forums. I was most moved by the way people treat those women. ‘My Ukrainian’ sounds like ‘My vacuum cleaner’. I wanted to show that people, when granted anonymity like on the Internet, lose all barriers and gain confidence – they would never say such things face to face.” Krzysztof Janiak Attends a secondary technical school. Plans to go to music school after that. Has one passion other than music: photography. Volunteers at the Homo Faber Association. Wants to work with refugees in the future.
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EWA KALINOWSKA ZJEDNOCZENI W SZCZĘŚCIU (United in Happiness) Poland, 2013, 5 min 2 sec
“Today, we are united in happiness!” Ewa remixes the rhetoric of politicians from speeches on the occasion of Poland’s accession to the EU. How did 'Schengen' influence the Ukraine? Afterwards, the country found itself right behind the eastern border of the European Union.
“My fascination with Eastern Europe started with friendship with a Russian. I keep discovering the culture. In my spare time I read and watch everything that is related to it. As EU citizens we can travel within the Schengen Area without limits, but we don’t give the same right to those living outside the EU. Through this remix, I wanted to show that EU policies regarding migrants do not fulfill the values of the EU. Thanks to the workshop, I learned more about the situation of migrants and refugees, especially Ukrainians in Poland. Before the workshop I didn’t think of remixing as a means of artistic expression.” Ewa Kalinowska Studies philosophy within the Interfaculty Studies in Humanism at the University of Warsaw. Interested in human rights protection and the broadly defined participation in social and political life.
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ANNA KULIKOWSKA OLEKSANDR Poland, 2013, 5 min 46 sec
All we know about Oleksandr is that he lives in the Ukraine. He wanted to take part in the same Remapping Europe workshop as the maker, but he couldn’t because of visa problems. This video attempts to portray Oleksandr, although none of the people talking about him have ever met him. It is also a story of absence.
“I am from Białystok, from the Polish-Belarusian borderland.” My remix is about Oleksandr, a Ukrainian participant of the Remapping Europe project who could not attend (the workshop) because he didn’t receive his visa on time, due to prolonged formalities. It proves that regular Ukrainian citizens who want to take part in interesting international projects face tremendous obstacles. It seems that the slogans of integration, open borders and free mobility are only meant for some. I learned how to operate audio-visual equipment and editing software in the workshop. More importantly, it opened my eyes even wider to the dilemmas of refugees, foreigners and migrants.” Anna Kulikowska Cultural anthropologist, conducted field research in Ukraine. Wrote her master’s thesis about labour-related migration of Ukrainians to the West. Participated in the project “Multicultural memory and durability of traces, Chernivtsi, Ukraine”. Interested in the topic of borderlands and crossing borders.
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MAGDALENA KUZAR ABC PRZEMYTNIKA (A smuggler’s ABC) Poland, 2013, 9 min 56 sec
How to smuggle alcohol and cigarettes across the Ukrainian Polish border? Watch this video tutorial, and learn from Magdalena, who comes from a village close to the border and has heard stories about smuggling since she was a little girl.
“My grandparents were resettled to these lands in 1952. My family has always longed for the lands that remained on the Ukrainian side. My film is a tutorial showing how to smuggle cigarettes and alcohol across the border. The difference in price and the scarcity are the reasons for illegal transfer of groceries and gas as well as cigarettes and alcohol. Smuggling is not only a way to buy cheaper or unavailable products. More so it is a way to earn a living for many people. Smugglers think of creative solutions to avoid border controls. How to smuggle has always been passed along via local people as anecdotes. There was a time when it was difficult to walk in my village’s market square without being nagged by an illegal seller.” Magdalena Kuzar Graduated from journalism and social communication in Lublin. Organiser of International Photography Contest Teatr w Obiektywie.
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AGNIESZKA MAŁEK CUDZOZIEMIEC DO WYNAJĘCIA (Foreigner for Rent) Poland, 2013, 2 min 12 sec
“Exclusive offer: Rent a foreigner!” Inspired by organisations and institutions working with migrants, this variation on a teleshopping commercial offers foreigners for hire. To fill TV airtime, as a piece of news or as an exotic curiosity.
“When we have airtime to fill, the media are full of information about other countries, but mostly around pleasant things. Ukrainians and Belarusians are always recalled during Christmas and the Czechs are known for their beautiful traditional dance. My remix film is created based on a standard home shopping ad. The speaker advertises the ‘product’ – a foreigner. Unrelated images are meant to underline how unreasonably we treat those people. I learned more about the situation of our Eastern borderland. Not sheer statistics and data, but reflection and stories told by people who are in regular contact with people from that region, who know their needs and the reality of their life.” Agnieszka Małek Incurable optimist, always smiling. Also a photographer and graphic designer, but willing to do everything that she feels somehow related to.
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MAGDA RADWAŃSKA / KAMIL RODZIK OBCY? (Stranger?) Poland, 2013, 8 min 57 sec
Lublin in Poland is 100 km from the Ukrainian border. Dormitories are full of Ukrainian seasonal workers; Lublin people smoke cigarettes smuggled from the Ukraine. How well do they know each other? Often, close neighbours seem to come from different planets.
“My remix film is about the way Ukraine and its citizens are seen by the inhabitants of Lublin. I gathered many interesting opinions, which show that for Polish people – living so close to their eastern border – it is an interesting, yet still mysterious country.” Magda Radwańska “The topic of the borderland is close to me – both geographically and intellectually. For Remapping Europe, I engaged into a remix video about the way Polish people see Ukraine and Ukrainians. This topic seemed the most important because it tackled the way we think and judge, as well as our own stories and our view of the world.” Kamil Rodzik Magda Radwańska Graduated in sociology and philosophy at the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University. Currently working on a PhD in philosophy at the Catholic University of Lublin. Kamil Rodzik Studies international relations with a major in international projects. Thesis will be about “Transborder cooperation between Poland and non-member states after 2004”. Also studies psychology; Thesis about “National stereotypes in the perception of Poles and Ukrainians”. Interested in socio-cultural phenomena in East-Central Europe, especially in the case of borderlands and transborder cooperation, as well as mutual perception of different nationalities. PL 39
ES SEVILLE
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Remapping Europe remix atelier in Seville, Spain The programme of the Spanish atelier was developed in collaboration with the Office of Social Rights of Seville (ODS Sevilla). It was scheduled in two parts: the local atelier and the international encounter. The local atelier was organised in two sessions of three hours each every week over three months. Guillermo Zapata and Silvia Nanclares helped the participants to establish a common narrative universe around the idea of disappeared social superheroes, working on transmedia and self-fiction methodologies, as well as collective storytelling and remix tools. The participants were highly involved in the atelier, which successfully combined productive work with ‘reproductive’ matters. Nuria García and José Luis Tirado also became involved in the process and, as facilitators, they provided participants with technical tools and advice. The ZEMOS98 office turned into a place for encounters at this point. Each of the participants had different needs and they came with doubts and problems that the facilitators had to solve ‘on-demand’. The International Encounter was a good pretext to take part in different activities as a group. Some activities were organised by the participants. ODS ran a session about social and human rights in Casa del Pumarejo, using different methodologies and practices. Finally, at the ZEMOS98 Festival, the participants shared a showcase of their work. Felipe G. Gil ZEMOS98 for Doc Next Network
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ELLAVLED ALCANO ME VOY A BAILAR PEGAO (I’m going to Dance Pegao) Spain, 2013, 5 min 52 sec
What do they do to have less, and to enjoy more? Pope Benedict XVI is taken by surprise! He watches a home shopping ad, which convinces him to spend his last days in a brand new world, where he will gain the hospitality of the Kikiriwikis. Consumerism in the remix!
“I’ve been dancing 24 out of my 29 years. I can’t think of my life without movement and rhythm in space. I was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. Travelling has always been present through dance, but I did my biggest step when crossing the Pond. It was a win: I even make flamenco-style outfits and I dance in love! Who is not interested in being an observer and telling stories in a migrant group this diverse, with colours, accents and interesting anecdotes? Remapping Europe is a gift, a cocktail that lets us reflect and combat ‘contamination’ in social rights.” Ellavled Alcano Dancer. Studied professional dance in Venezuela.
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LUCIA CHERUBINI REFUGIOS (Refugees) Spain, 2013, 6 min 58 sec
Why are there so many Italians living in Seville? How does it feel to be far away from your hometown? There are people who don’t identify with Italy, Spain or any place where they live; they feel like they belong to a different place, a self place, just that.
“I’m Italian, I come from the south of Italy. I left Italy ten years ago. I never find a place to stop, a home. Now we can communicate much better with the world, and so much cheaper than ten years ago. A video becomes available to everyone, and everyone can send news and documentaries in the network. I am learning to communicate less hermetically as I always do.” Lucia Cherubini Studied photography and film direction. Looking for work – making ice-cream in Seville in the meantime.
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DAVID GALLARDO TRÁNSITO (Crossing) Spain, 2013, 6 min 9 sec
Do you know Andrea? He is a superhero who can help you to cross the border, by turning you into an animal. Like a penguin, or an elephant. After your crossing, you will have to live like an animal in your new country, for one year.
“I was born in Mexicali, Baja California in Mexico. I come from a warm desert country. I have been living in Seville for more than seven years now. My migration to Spain was a change that has been the beginning of a trip of life towards new experiences. To share my experiences as migrant… what better way to do it than in an audio-visual way? Remapping Europe contributes new elements to this project, enriching it in an amazing way. I devote myself to the world of the audio-visual.” David Gallardo An audio-visual producer, who studied audio-visual communication in Mexicali, Mexico.
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JOHN GÓMEZ EL PRECIO DE UN SUEÑO (The Price of a Dream) Spain, 2013, 3 min 47 sec
A long time ago, when the earth was still young, a spirit called Andrea helped people to cross borders. Who or what is Andrea? This remix uses stills and cuts of films and documentaries to explain the nature of borders.
“I like to travel, to meet other people and hear their point of view about the world. I was born in Colombia and I’ve lived in Spain for six years. When in Colombia I thought it would be a great opportunity to come to Europe and continue my education. There are so many things I’ve learned in this country. I wish I could visit other countries and keep learning. I wanted to learn how to make a short film, and I’m glad because I’ve learned how to use editing software and how to make a fictional history. It is important for me to show the migration situation through audio-visual media so people are able to realise the problems that affect so many immigrants.” John Gómez Has a degree in business administration and an MBA in finance and accounting. Worked for a multinational in the department of administration, one year ago.
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DENNIS HUARACHE DETENIDO POR IR SIN PAPELES (Arrested without Papers) Spain, 2013, 8 min 17 sec
“They made me sign a deportation letter.” You come to a different country full of illusions and ideas about how your life will be. You try to build a new life, but sometimes you find some difficulties along the way. Like being arrested by the police for having no papers.
“I’m Dennis and I’m Bolivian. I was born in Cochabamba. The journey of my life was when I got out of my country to Spain, though I’ve been to some countries in South America. I came here to meet my parents, who were living here and I hadn’t seen for six years. I got here when I was 19 and I thought I’d only be here for one year. But here I am. I like to meet people and I’m a friend of my friends. I have experience with photography, but I want to learn things about video, because I want to make documentaries.” Dennis Huarache Working in many different jobs since he came to Spain, taking care of old people, for example, but his main passion and work is being a photographer.
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PABLO NAVARRO VELITAS Spain, 2013, 6 min 53 sec
Velitas was a great superhero. She helped people to avoid evictions. Now she has disappeared, but there still are places where she is remembered. Velitas is a mockumentary with testimonies of people living in occupied houses in Seville, reflecting on the human right to live in decent housing.
“I was born in Seville and I’ve lived here all my life. As a social animator I work with children from many different nationalities and I try to create a space of respect, where all their identities are important and rated by all the group. As an audio-visual communicator, I want to tell as many stories as I can. As a social educator I’m interested in the migrants’ movements and how they live in different contexts. Remapping Europe has been the perfect space to mix my two ambitions: I hear a lot of stories, and the group has discovered how to use audio-visual tools to tell those stories.” Pablo Navarro Currently working at ZEMOS98 in Seville. Studies audio-visual communication and social education, wants to work remixing the two. Interested in teaching and learning while playing. Involved in social movements and educational and audio-visual processes.
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DANA NEGOITA LA OVEJA NEGRA (Black Sheep) Spain, 2013, 5 min 16 sec
They looked at her carefully and they asked: “Why are you so black?”… Children can’t tell apart race or colour. But how would you feel if you were going to a foreign country and people don’t help, just because you are different?
“I was born and raised in Romania. When I was 15 years old, my brother and I decided to go to Rome. I finished my studies there. I was ‘adopted’ by another family… so yes, culturally I’m pretty rich! I think Remapping Europe is a new way to see and show things. And meeting people with different stories is a nice plus.” Dana Negoita Dana is Romanian but she left her country when she was very young. She went to Italy until she decided to come to Spain where she is currently established.
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ABIGAIL STEPH VIDAS, CUÉNTAME TU HISTORIA (Lives, Tell Me Your Story) Spain, 2013, 3 min 14 sec
Do you remember the first time you ate ice-cream? Do you remember the first time you felt out of place? This film is a short auto fiction story, told from different perspectives: “I come from everywhere and nowhere.”
“I was born in the Galapagos Islands, through my veins runs blood from many different ethnicities. I know where I come from, but I don’t know where I’m going. My life journey has been uncertain, not knowing where you are going to wake up in the morning. It’s the path to personal wisdom. I think of myself as a citizen of the world and because of that I think being a migrant is an inevitable aspect of every individual. I’d like to learn editing because I’m a real mess. I think audiovisual media with words is a great tool to get to the viewer with your ideas, and it’s a great instrument to try to change the world.” Abigail Steph Charismatic, idealistic, loving photography, writing, helping, and philosophising over everything else. An apprentice of everything and teacher of nothing, wants to study philosophy and be a great writer.
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RILEY STEVENSON CAFÉ PARA UNA (Coffee for One) Spain, 2013, 5 min 44 sec
“I thought if I tried hard enough, I would be the woman he wanted.” Sometimes in your life, you tie bonds of dependency with certain people. These bonds are hard to break. The woman in Coffee for One talks about how she broke her dependency and began to live freely, in an emotional self-constructed space.
“In my spare time, I enjoy writing, taking advantage of RyanAir, and participating in all activities food related. I return to the United States in four months! My life’s journey has taken me to Latin America and Spain, but in my travels I have come to understand that the most important thing in this world is people not places. I hope to continue seeing the world, but while making a difference in other people’s lives through my writing and relationships. I’ve enjoyed Remapping Europe, as both an educational and social experience. I hugely respect my new friends for their creativity and expertise, and am continually impressed by the conversations we have in class. Although I know as much about a camera as I do about rocket science, I have loved using multimedia as a tool for social empowerment.” Riley Stevenson Journalism student, visiting Seville from the University of Oregon (USA). Works on her thesis, eats good food, and embraces her inner night-owl.
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LUCAS TELLO PÉREZ KIKIRIWIKIS Spain, 2013, 7 min 21 sec
“When you get close to the border, the first thing you see is the huge fence. When you (go) through a hole in the fence, you can see ants going across the border.” Many years ago, there were four superheroes fighting for everyone’s social rights. Now it’s about time for people to fight for their rights themselves.
“I was born in a Southern city of Spain called Jerez de la Frontera, in the province of Cádiz. It’s a geographic point where there has always been much contact with different cultures, especially Arabian ones, due to the proximity of Morocco. I am very interested in everything related to migration because of the social and economic reality. The current economic situation in Spain is forcing a big group of young people to emigrate looking for better opportunities. Here in the south of Europe, it has always been difficult to think about what is Europe. I think Remapping Europe is a great opportunity for young migrant people to redraw something so abstract as being European. In that way, trans-media storytelling seems like a very interesting toolbox to reflect the great diversity of stories and ways of living as part of European youth.” Lucas Tello Pérez Studied audio-visual communication at the University of Seville. Has been working in the production of many short films and a medium-length film, on lighting, direction and editing. Enjoys the most: working on his own video projects with minimum resources, possibly using archive footage, experimental narratives and documentary techniques. Currently works at ZEMOS98 in Seville, involved in different projects such as La Bética or EMBED. Blogger.
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MARÍA JESÚS VALENZUELA INTERNA (Inmate) Spain, 2013, 7 min 35 sec
Inmate is about the physical and existential need for a personal space you can call your own. Three migrant housekeepers reminisce about their places at home. In the homes they work in, they feel like inmates; in their own homes, far away, they are free.
“Next to studying I have been dancing flamenco since 2006, in Chile and Spain. I was born in Santiago, Chile. I lived in the USA with my mom and until I was 4 years old. Then I went back to Chile with my mother – my father moved to New York. I have been traveling a lot so far in my life, visiting and traveling with him every year around the world. I have been very touched by what I have seen in my travels, specially the people and their way of living. I want to rescue that complexity through images and I want to bring some awareness of the real world of the dispossessed and abused. The idea of working with others in this fashion will be very useful due to the fact that the internet keeps growing and connecting people in ways not possible before.” María Jesús Valenzuela Studied photography in New York at the International Center of Photography. Graduated from the University of Chile in Fine Arts in 2008. Makes video art and developed competencies in editing and filming. When working with an independent documentary film production company for a year, he co-produced a documentary about Rapa Nui Island and its people. Collaborated in folklore and popular music projects, registering their cultural heritage.
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Remapping Europe remix atelier in Istanbul, Turkey The Istanbul atelier was made up of three parts over the course of 14 days during March-April 2013. Sixteen young media creators with a migrant background took part, investigating the prevailing imagery of migrants in Turkey and remixing the existing audiovisual materials to reconstruct their own stories. Internal migration and urban transformation were two topics that were widely discussed and explored. The first part of the atelier included lectures and debates on digital story-telling, visual storytelling and remix; talks by guest artists and academics on free culture and intellectual property rights; sessions on story development, media-making and technical instructions; and a public seminar on ‘the perception of migration in media and alternative approaches’ involving academics, media professionals and media-makers as speakers. The participants then went through a research phase and looked at different archives to collect materials for their digital stories. During the second part of the atelier, they met the travelling participants from other hub countries to exchange knowledge and experience. All the participants completed their remix works by the end of the third part and presented them to audiences during Documentarist and Which Human Rights? Festival in Istanbul. Gökçe Su Yoğurtçuoğlu MODE Istanbul for Doc Next Network
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AYŞE AYBÜKE SAMAST MOBİL İÇ HUZUR (Mobile Inner Peace) Turkey, 2013, 5 min 33 sec
Our togetherness is built upon intimate bonds and common feelings. When you move away, things change. But even in our new urban lives, we keep on searching for truly valuable things, such as a plant on the balcony, or a phone call home.
“I was born in Bursa, in the Marmara region of Turkey. I grew up in Cardiff in Wales and went to school in Ankara. I always questioned the feelings of belonging and owning. Belonging somewhere is a concept for me that includes family relations, my accent, everyday objects, food, and so on. In the end, I feel I belong in Bursa, where I was born. Before applying to join the Remapping Europe project I asked myself whether I was a migrant. But almost every one of us can be considered a migrant, since the meaning of place is changing. Being a part of this project, I want to think about mobility and ‘things’ that make us feel at home.” Ayşe Aybüke Samast Architect in Istanbul, and is curious about urban studies.
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FATİH BİLGİN HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO MIGRATE? Turkey, 2013, 3 min 38 sec
“The freedom to migrate is sacred.” How Would You Like to Migrate? is an imaginary public announcement, promoting migration. Fatih wishes you a pleasant migration. Let’s migrate!
“My parents were Turkish workers in Germany from 1965 to 1984. I was born there and then my family went back to Turkey. I grew up in Izmir in Turkey. When I moved to the Tarlabaşı district of Istanbul in 2002, I began to shoot and edit videos. Using video, I make some underground music clips. I like to use remix techniques. I joined Remapping Europe project because I wanted to meet new media-makers.” Fatih Bilgin Sociologist, graduate of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul.
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MEMDUH CAN TANYELİ SARAÇ (Saddler) Turkey, 2013, 10 min 52 sec
Ethem Turan Saraçlar was one of Turkey’s last leather masters and saddlers. Practising his professional activities, he travelled from city to city. His story is told through the eyes of his grandson – mixing personal family footage with images of the memoirs of the ‘Saddler’.
“My grandfather from my mother’s side migrated from Bulgaria to Turkey in the mid 40s. He has changed his last name into Saraçlar, which means ‘saddler’ in Turkish. This name represented his beloved occupation and himself. I aim to change my 13 years of amateur media-making experience into a professional career. The workshop offered the chance to meet and share with fellow media-makers and documentarians from home and abroad, which generated a strong urge to be part of this project.” Memduh Can Tanyeli Graduated from Yildiz Technical University’s Faculty of Architecture, earned his Master’s degree at the Architectural Design Graduate Programme at Istanbul Technical University. Gained experience in filmmaking through amateur projects, took part in the making of short films and documentaries before finally forming the architectural media production firm Sarraf | Galeyan | Mekanik with two other partners.
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FARHAD EIVAZI BUGÜN BURADA, YARIN AMERİKA’DA (Today Here, Tomorrow in America) Turkey, 2013, 4 min 52 sec
‘Wherever I am, I will always love Afghanistan.” This video portrays two Afghani refugees, a day before their departure from Istanbul, on their way to their future homeland – the United States.
“The work we do here as part of Remapping Europe project is so meaningful. I feel very comfortable in this environment…. I hope in the future migration will happen only because people will choose to do it, and that Remapping Europe project will help achieve this.” Farhad Eivazi Born in Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan Province in Iran. Studied cinema and Turkish literature at university in Iran while working in film-making. Had to leave school and migrated to Turkey, due to political reasons. Has been shooting his own short films and documentaries since 1988.
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MELİS GÖKER TARLABAŞI’NI NASIL BİLİRSİNİZ? (How Do You Know Tarlabaşı?) Turkey, 2013, 5 min 21 sec
Today, 278 historical buildings in Tarlabaşı are being rebuilt, but at what cost? The history of Tarlabaşı goes back to the forced migration of non-Muslim minorities, triggered by economic circumstances in the 1950s.
“During the Population Exchange in 1923, the government had settled my grandparents to a village near Izmir, at the grape farms. But they had no idea about farming grapes. They burnt the crop and planted tobacco instead. When we bring something from the place we left, we change the place we go to. I wanted to join the Remapping Europe project to tell about the Greeks, Armenians and Jews from Tarlabaşı that left during the 50s, and about the Kurds and Romanians who came instead, and why. I remix the government’s declarations and the stories of the Tarlabaşı people.” Melis Göker Studied Architecture at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul. Now a graduate student in the Architectural Design Issues programme of the same university. Title of her thesis: ‘Analysis of the Tarlabaşı Renewal Project on the Basis of Public Space and Everyday Life.’ Has worked at several architectural studios and written essays for arkitera.com and mimarizm.com.
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PINAR İDİL YAKUT AYRILIK (Separation) Turkey, 2013, 2 min 29 sec
“This place is actually more like a new world than a new home. Everything is foreign and complicated. Everything we’ve ever learned is not applicable here.” A young migrant tries to keep the people she has left behind in her life and deals with the fear and anxiety that comes with migration.
“My mother’s relatives live and work in the USA. A couple of years ago, my elder sister moved to the States, too. Even though I’m close to my cousins from my father’s side here in Turkey, I feel a very strong feeling of loss since she left. My aim is to go there too: I feel half of me is now missing. I don’t have a professional training on making films, but I love to record events of daily life to keep them as a memory. When I first heard about Remapping Europe, I thought it was a great chance to learn. The goal of the project made me think about my passion towards my family and art. I have started to wonder about the effects of migration, and about the meaning of losing people.” Pınar İdil Yakut Studying graphic design. Wants to be a contemporary artist. Applied to universities in the US for a master’s degree to extend her knowledge of art and design.
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ŞAHİKA KARATEPE YU-GOS-LAV-YA Turkey, 2013, 3 min 35 sec
“Skopje does not belong to us.” This remix pictures the chaotic situation the Balkans are in, using found footage and the tale of a family that migrated from former Yugoslavia in 1960 under the Tito rule.
“Even though my mother was born in Istanbul, her father registered her birthplace as Skopje. They all thought that they would go back again to their hometown but they couldn’t. When I read about this Remapping Europe workshop focusing on the issue of migration, I encouraged myself to tell the story of my mother’s family. The Turks who came from the Balkans have not described what they’ve lived through during the different migration waves from the Balkans. I would like to show the human side of this story instead of underlining that they were forced to migrate because they were of a certain ethnicity.” Şahika Karatepe Completed Philosophy Studies at Galatasaray University and the University of Jean-Moulin Lyon III. Currently MA student at the Ataturk Institute in Boğaziçi University, studying the social and labour history of Ottoman railways. Also interested in film studies.
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HANDAN KAYGUSUZ EKMEKLE GÜLLER, GÜLLERLE EKMEK (Bread with Roses, Roses with Bread) Turkey, 2013, 3 min 53 sec
This film is about seasonal worker families of Arab origin, who every year start out their journey on a tractor from Urfa to Eskişehir and try to hold on to life in an area covered with almost 2,500 tents. Women and children carry the biggest burden of this migration. These workers remind the media-maker of her own family, which was crushed under the heavy burden of migration years ago. Through this perspective she focuses on the women’s experiences.
“My parents had to leave their country in 1938 for political reasons. I share a destiny with seasonal workers, who have many problems like adapting to a new place and language problems. Most of the seasonal workers are Kurdish and Arabic. I know a woman named Şems. She is 18 and she married at an early age. She had a hard life; she is working all day and hasn’t got any dreams. To be the voice of these seasonal workers, I should first voice myself. I want to create a bridge between my personal story, and the migrant stories of seasonal workers. I’m also interested in multicultural workshops. The Remapping Europe project will give me an opportunity to tell our internal migration problems on an international platform.” Handan Kaygusuz Studying at Anadolu University, works with seasonal workers.
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HÜLYA METE KONUP GÖÇER (Settler-Migrant) Turkey, 2013, 2 min 46 sec
“You are a migrant! How dare you aspire to live in Byzantine? Get going and carry on, or you will get a slap in the neck!” This remix tells the story of migration in the Istanbul Beyoğlu district. It questions the relocation of people that took place in the city throughout its history and emphasises the circular aspect of migration.
“I was born in Uzunköprü, which is small town near Edirne in Turkey, on the border with Greece. After the First Balkan War, my great-grandfather migrated from the Balkans to Edirne. My grandmother who raised me told me about the war and the pain of war. As a child I learned this about borders: ‘You must not pass them!’ As a reaction I have wanted to cross the borders all my life. When studying, I lived in Switzerland. People there said to me: ‘You come from the East of Europe’. I find West and East are just names for directions. The idea of a border is in our minds! I am interested in the Remapping Europe project (as) this is a very good opportunity for me to observe Tarlabaşı. Also I believe visual art is a good way to find an alternative for the mainstream and taking action for city rights.” Hülya Mete Writing a sociology graduate thesis on urban sociology.
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GÜLTEN OKÇUOĞLU ZORUNLU GÖÇ (Forced Migration) Turkey, 2013, 3 min 1 sec
In the 1990s, 1.5 million Kurds were forced to migrate as their villages were burnt down. Until recently, this government’s action was supported by the majority of society, and even considered as a source of pride.
“In 1996, our village in Elazığ (in Eastern Turkey) was burnt down. I witnessed the events first hand. Most of the young population had already migrated to other cities because of both political pressure and economical reasons. The remaining elderly people also had to leave the village after it was burnt down, forcing them to migrate. I want to work on the issue of how the non-migrant, local people living in Tarlabaşı perceive the migrant families that came from elsewhere as a result of forced migration. I was very excited that the Remapping Europe project focuses on migration, especially zooming in on the context of Tarlabaşı, with an alternative approach. That’s why I wanted to take part in it.” Gülten Okçuoğlu Graduate of Economics at Kadir Has University. Former volunteer at Tarlabaşı Community Center. Member in the Women’s Studies Club of Bosphorus University between 2008 and 2012.
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SÜLEYMAN ŞAHİN GÖÇ HARİTASI (Map of Migration) Turkey, 2013, 5 min
Using a wooden suitcase and the maps inside as witnesses of past incidents, a grandson recounts the story of his family in exile. As writer Mohsin Hamid said: “The lines of national borders on maps are artificial constructs, as unnatural to us as they are to birds flying overhead. Our first impulse is to ignore them.”
“I was born in Manisa in Turkey in a migrant family from Dersim, Tunceli. I was brought up in an environment where the majority of people were migrants from the Balkans. I started to learn about life in the middle of the migration psychology. I was very interested in the Remapping Europe project because the concept of migration affects my life and my work, both as an architect and a media-maker. I am also very interested in learning about remix as methodology and culture.” Süleyman Şahin Architect with media background. Chose migration as the main theme of his first feature screenplay.
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GURBET KENTİ
ZALIM KENTİ
MEHMET SAMİ GURBET KENTİ ZALIM KENTİ (Gurbet City) (Zalım City) Turkey, 2013, 3 min 18 sec Turkey, 2013, 3 min 4 sec
GURBET KENTİ A collage of different images and music clips, reflecting on a broad imaginary landscape of what a migrant is: To walk without fear, to stand up straight and move on… Not worrying about the trouble of the world, but grabbing your suitcase and hitting the road, wondering why you got lost… ZALIM KENTİ Some people do not hesitate to make others an object of mockery. Zalım City questions this social norm.
“The main reason why we went 1,000 km west from my birth city Erzurum to Bursa was my family’s desire to get a ‘better education and a better environment’ for me. As this 1,000 km distance seemed not enough for me, I moved further west and ended up in Istanbul.” Mehmet Sami Started to play with images and photo manipulating programmes in high school. Went to Fine Arts University. Also interested in newspaper design. Has been working in commercial films for the last two years.
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EMİNE SEDA KAYIM BEN DAĞDAN KORKARIM NEDENSE (Somehow, I Am Scared of the Mountains) Turkey, 2013, 4 min 33 sec
Fadime Kayım migrated to Istanbul from the village of Kastamonu during the 1960s. She now lives on the land she had occupied in Okmeydanı, Istanbul. “You can construct a house in a minute – overnight. You build a house; they tear it down. You build it again; they tear it down again the next day.”
“My grandparents occupied an area of land in the Okmeydani district, where they built a ‘gecekondu’ (illegal settlement, a close synonym for ‘slum’). As my grandfather was working at a bakery and at a local coffee shop, my grandmother fought against policemen and other fellow illegal settlers. Within 15 years, my grandmother managed to occupy another 100 m2 of land and began building a concrete home for her family – with her bare hands. She never wanted any tenants in her own house and as the building rose, she moved to upper floors, leaving lower floors fully furnished but unoccupied. My grandmother was transformed by the city itself while at the same time she was one of the builders of Istanbul’s urban environment.” Emine Seda Kayım Graduated from Yildiz Technical University’s Faculty of Architecture, completed her graduate education in history and theory of architecture at the same institution. Travelled to Stuttgart, Germany as a guest researcher. Acted as a project tutor and coordinated mixed-media workshops. Continues her scholarly endeavours as an architectural historian, while pursuing her professional career as the Creative Director of the architectural media production firm Sarraf | Galeyan | Mekanik .
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ENES UYSAL SESSİZ GEZİ 89 (The Silent Excursion 89) Turkey, 2013, 5 min 48 sec
Zhivkov was the communist head of state of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria from 1954-1989. Under his regime, Bulgarian Turks underwent a forced assimilation and name-changing policy, leading to 'silent migration'. This video includes remixes from Zhivkov interviews and archive footage.
“In Australia we spoke Turkish at home and English outside. I grew up in a multicultural community, where everybody was an immigrant or refugee, and therefore bilingual. I have had problems with language and adaptation throughout my life. Language was not only problematic for me growing up but also became the issue I was interested in throughout my years of studying literature up until now. Another issue that I find problematic is the prevailing perception of the other: I wasn’t as Australian there as I wasn’t as Turkish here. Although this had its downsides, I could read and observe the world around me from two sides. It should enable me to express these issues via an alternative form of narrative technique.” Enes Uysal American literature graduate from Istanbul University. Interested in the fields of modern art, documentary film (making), literature and other forms of interdisciplinary arts.
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OSMAN YÜKSEL BAYRAM CİNNET (Insanity) Turkey, 2013, 5 min 32 sec
In 1948, 400 out of 500 Palestinian villages were destroyed on new Israeli territory. Cinnet examines how a nation that was once subject to forced migration itself is now putting another nation in a similar situation.
“I was born in Berlin and raised in Istanbul. Since 2012 I have been living and studying in Berlin again, on the gentrification process to which my family was also subjected. My family migrated to Erzincan in 1948, then to Istanbul in the 60s. My father worked as an industrial worker in Germany until we went back to Turkey in 1993.” Osman Yüksel Bayram Studied sociology in Istanbul. Works as freelance videographer and editor for documentaries and non-fiction TV series.
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HANDE ZERKİN PORTMANTEAU Turkey, 2013, 4 min 25 sec
If you are going on vacation, packing and travelling are nice things. In this video, homes are being demolished because of urban transformation, while cheerful luggage commercials try to motivate you to pack up and go.
“I was born in Izmir and I live there. I’ve been taking photos and making documentaries since 2007. To take a journey is good experience for lots of people. But if we talk about migration, it is about people who are forced to go to other places. Their leaving is making our lives more empty, lonely and colourless. Because life is beautiful with differences. I would like to show this emptiness with streets, houses and objects that people left. It’s a great opportunity to tell a story in Remix mode. One of my personal interests is capturing frames in abandoned places. I can put these places in my media work to show the effects of migration. I would like to show stories from Tarlabaşı.” Hande Zerkin Master’s student at Dokuz Eylul University, Fine Art Institute, Film Design Department. Works as a freelance film-maker and director of photography in documentaries.
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UK LONDON
Remapping Europe remix atelier in London, UK The UK atelier was developed with Refugee Youth, an organisation that uses the creative arts and participatory action research to build an inclusive community of friendship and belonging. Over the course of two months, we met with more than 25 young people who use Refugee Youth as a safe space to meet people and learn new artistic skills. We held weekly sessions, during which we talked about the diverse experiences the young participants had faced moving to the UK from across the world, and the struggles and stereotypes they’ve encountered along the way. Conversation topics were broad – ranging from navigating through London for the first time via chicken shops (because their signs were in Arabic), to one participant’s love for the Queen (because of how much he felt she’d done for him personally as a young migrant). Not all of the experiences faced by the migrants were completely negative. Through Refugee Youth’s motto of ‘Fun, Friendship and Food’, we explored ideas of identity, problems with the media and we questioned the current perception of migration within the UK in comparison to the facts. The films created through these workshops are only a snapshot of the discussions held, and our young participants were given free rein to experiment and play with a new medium to present their perspectives and experiences of migration within the UK. Matthew Cuzner British Film Institute – Future Film programme for Doc Next Network
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SALIH AHMED CONGRATULATIONS UK, 2013, 3 min 4 sec
Learning a new language can be challenging, but when you move to a new country and don’t speak the native tongue, there’s a lot more pressure to try. Salih has always struggled with the word 'congratulations'. This film explores his struggles, along with the issues of living thousands of miles from those closest to you. Sali Ahmed Salih moved to London in 2001 and is studying at the University of East London.
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ALKA PALEWSKA COMMUNICATION UK, 2013, 2 min 37 sec
Alka uses archive footage and new media to explore the issues of communication she suffered when she first moved to the UK. Alka initially found it difficult to express herself, and found inventive new ways to get her messages across.
“Originally I’m from Poland, I moved to England roughly two years ago and that’s just because of a better opportunity for me to have a brighter future obviously. I wouldn’t have it in Poland. I’m interested in communication without words. Body language and signs. How people communicate / try to get their point across when they don’t know the language.” Alka Palewska Studying a BTEC in Business at Harrow College alongside English. She wants to be a lawyer in five years’ time and enjoys reading, cooking and going out with friends.
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ADHURIM DEMIRAJ HELPING OTHERS UK, 2013, 5 min 38 sec
“When was the last time you helped someone?” When Adhurim Demiraj (Albania) first came to the UK he was surprised by how many people there were, but how unwilling they were to help each other. On one of his first days in the country he saw someone lying, apparently unconscious on the street, and no one stopped to see if they were OK. This remix compares inner-city London to a night drive through his childhood city, whilst passers-by reflect on when they last helped or were helped by a stranger.
“I came to London last year. I’ve been here since December 2012. I sometimes change my name into Juri because it is easier for people to understand. The aspect I would like to explore is empathy. People helping (and not helping) each other. The separated lives of European migrants.” Adhurim Demiraj Studying English at Croydon College.
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CEDOUX KADIMA FIRST STEPS (Sorry + Please) UK, 2013, 2 min 58 sec
When Cedoux first came to the UK, he spoke no English. He had to try and navigate his way through London, picking up occasional words here and there. First Steps (Sorry + Please) immerses the viewer in his experiences. While the bulk of the dialogue isn’t understandable, we can understand only the words presented to us, with the occasional “Sorry” or “Please” – the first words Cedoux learnt in English.
“My name is Cedoux Kadima. I come from D.R. Congo. I have a BA in fine art and I’m interested in painting, photography and film. I moved to London in 2011 because I needed a new home (country to live) and I decided to take part in this project because I wanted to share my story and experience about finding a new home.” Cedoux Kadima Photographer and film-maker working in London.
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HAMID REZA RAJABY LIMBO UK, 2013, 2 min 5 sec
The first question they ask is “Have you got any documentation?”. It’s kind of confusing, and sad sometimes. Limbo combines stop-motion and archive footage with personal reflections to explore the situation of many migrants across Europe. Living in Limbo means being unable to plan for the future, because you never know where that future will be.
“I came to UK on 7th June 2007 and I was placed into foster care. I remember that I couldn’t speak English, which was difficult for me! When I started my school it was very difficult to communicate with other people but after few months I managed to speak a bit. In 2007-2008 I participated in a project with Cardboard Citizens on a play about migrant and refugee life. A friend from this project introduced me to Refugee Youth and I started to attend their meetings and became a young leader and helped run the Refuge in Film festival at BFI. I want to change the world by campaigning and make the world a heaven with fair justice and help society to get a better future.” Hamid Reza Rajaby Studying Engineering alongside being a Young Advisor in the What is Justice project, which aims to bring a better and fair justice for young people and children.
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SHORSS YOU ARE RICH BECAUSE I AM POOR UK, 2013, 6 min 48 sec
“When I came to the UK my first work was in a car wash...I would get only £25 a day.” In the UK, there are many employers that offer work to migrants who may not be able to find other work. Frequently these workers are paid as little as £1.50 per hour, for long days. This film explores how and why this happens through a series of interviews and archive footage. Shorss Studying English and no longer working in the carwash!
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PARTNER ORGANISATIONS OF THE REMIX ATELIERS ZEMOS98 works with Office of Social Rights (ODS), Seville, Spain The Office of Social Rights is a collective of different social movements, neighbourhood associations, community centres and immigrant organisations aiming to defend social and human rights. They do not work with migrants only, but as the social rights of migrants in Seville are often endangered, this group naturally found their way this organisation. The ODS will help ZEMOS98 with their expertise and by connecting them with young migrants with Senegalese, Latin American and Moroccan backgrounds. www.ods-sevilla.org Creative Initiatives ‘ę’ works with Homo Faber, Lublin, Poland Homo Faber is a Lublin NGO working in the field of human rights. The organisation’s main interest is the relation between an individual and the authorities. Homo Faber’s aim is to constructively monitor whether the authorities effectively fulfill their duties and whether they respect human rights and freedoms. The association acts on behalf of minority groups and those excluded; it confronts all kinds of discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, skin colour, religion, language, age and sexual orientation. Homo Faber and Creative Initiatives ‘ę’ will cooperate to reach out to what they call “Invisible Neighbours”, which are 1st and 2nd generation Vietnamese migrants and also Ukrainian and Belorusian students in Warsaw and Lublin. www.hf.org.pl/ao/index.php BFI Future Film works with Refugee Youth, London, UK Refugee Youth is a community of young people from around the world, and a network of youth groups working together across London. Refugee Youth is dedicated to breaking down isolation and combating alienation and despair amongst young refugees in London by supporting opportunities for their development. They do so by creating a community where we can support each other and learn together. BFI Future Film were already collaborating in the Refuge in Film Festival and will broaden and deepen this cooperation for the project Remapping Europe – A Remix. www.refugeeyouth.org/main.php MODE Istanbul works with Tarlabaşi Community Center, Istanbul, Turkey Istanbul Bilgi University Center for Migration Research, in order to develop a model on social coalescense and multicultural coexistence for fostering participation into urban life, established Tarlabaşi Community Center in September 2006 in the Tarlabaşı neighbourhood of Beyoglu, Istanbul. The Community Center especially provides social, educational supportive activities for women, children and youth, who are the most vulnerable groups struggling with problems resulting from migration and poverty. MODE Istanbul and Tarlabaşi Community Center will collaborate to reach out to migrants from rural areas in Turkey, including Kurdish minorities. goc.bilgi.edu.tr/tarlabasi/tarlabasi_eng_b.htm
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EURO SOUVE
OPEAN ENIRS In this experimental live-cinema performance, audio, photography and film is gently, sometimes provocatively, remixed into a new context and given a new meaning, blended together with music composed by the artists. The performances by European Souvenirs and the Light Surgeons are the result of a true collaborative process and are a departure from the convention of the ‘audio-visual memoir’: the archive.
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European Souvenirs
A live-cinema performance and artist collective “What are our personal and collective memories? What are borders? Are we a tourist or an immigrant, or perhaps a nomad? How do we experience travel? What images and imageries do we have?” European Souvenirs is the name of a unique live-cinema performance created by Karol Rakowski (Poland), Barış Gürsel (Turkey), Farah Rahman (Netherlands), Malaventura (Spain) and Noriko Okaku (United Kingdom/Japan) – and produced by Pedro and Benito Jiménez from Doc Next Network’s Seville-based partner ZEMOS98. The artists first came together in 2012 after Doc Next Network decided to set up an ambitious remix project. Starting from the principle of deconstructing and appropriating existing audio-visual material from archives and found footage, they came together for three residencies in Istanbul, Warsaw and Seville with artistic collaborators from the local arts, film, literature and music scenes. They delved into their home cities’ archives and wandered around the streets to find the perfect VHS tape or picture or musical instrument to re-use in a new performance that deals with migration, media and imagery. Led by the experienced artistic collaborators and producers of ZEMOS98, they shared common notions and found differences. Universal concepts such as ‘family’, ‘travel’, ‘borders’ and ‘memory’ were the starting points for their expedition. The artists explored personal, local and common meanings of the footage and sounds from the archives, as well as creating their own productions and fieldwork. European Souvenirs offers us a journey down our own memory lane. The artists bring us precious European souvenirs – sounds and images from different pasts and European contexts. They invite us to make new connections between different European landscapes, identities, imaginations – and to draw new borders in our own memory map. The premiere of European Souvenirs took place at De Balie in Amsterdam on 6 October 2012. The performance received an outstanding reaction from a diverse audience of 200 international guests, who evaluated it as a very impressive, challenging and sometimes alienating experience. After several successful tours, the show has become a point of reference in European live-cinema – travelling to Bilbao, Seville, Geneva, Kosovo and Utrecht. Taking the title of the first performance, Doc Next Network and collaborating artists decided to continue to work as a collective under the name 'European Souvenirs', in partnership with the world-renowned Light Surgeons from London. Together, they are preparing a second live-cinema performance that will form the final stage of Remapping Europe – A Remix Project Highlighting the Migrant’s Perspective.
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Artistic collaborators and residencies Seville – Centro de las Artes de Sevilla: – Toni Serra, video artist and co-founder of the OVNI archives; www.desorg.org – Nuria García Atienza, documentary film-maker and educator/coordinator of participatory video workshops – Silvia Nanclares, writer, editor and cultural activist; www.bookcamping.cc Istanbul – Simotas Building: – Filastine, audio-visual artist and nomadic music activist; www.filastine.com Warsaw – Oczyszczalnia: – Chris Allen, multimedia artist and pioneer of live-cinema performances; www.lightsurgeons.com
Performances
– EFC, Vienna, 31 August 2012 (try-out) – Imagining Europe, De Balie, Amsterdam, 6 October 2012 (premiere) – Hondakin Festival, Bilbao, 23 November 2012 – ZEMOS98 Festival, Sevilla, 14 April 2013 – Mapping Festival, Geneva, 9 May 2013 – Europe Week, Kosovo, 11 May 2013 – Vrede van Utrecht/House of Eutopia, Utrecht, 19 September 2013 – Future Film Festival, London, 21 February 2014 – Cross-sectoral Forum on Local Migration Policies, Lublin, 22 March 2014 – Eye Film Institute, Amsterdam, 20 May 2014 – Documentarist, Istanbul, June 2014
European Souvenirs has been developed in collaboration with the following media archives from Europe: Eye Film Institute (NL), Instituut voor
Beeld en Geluid (NL), Nationaal Archief (NL), Sarnamihuis (NL), National Digital Archive (PL), NInA. Narodowy Instytut Audiowizualny (PL), Photoregister – project of Archaeology of Photography Foundation (PL), Filmoteca de Andalucía (ES), SALT (TR), British Film Institute – BFI (UK), Antonio España archive (ES), Family Rahman archive (NL), José Luis Tirado archive (ES), Archive.org, Doc Next Network media collection and found objects from various flea markets.
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CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Doc Next Network would like to thank the following people for taking part in this exciting, inspiring and thought-provoking journey: All the media-makers and artists mentioned in this catalogue. Special thanks to the travelling contributors for their multiple functions in documenting, tutoring, and being involved as media-makers: David Sypniewski (Poland); Ahmed Sheikh (UK); Lucas Tello Pérez (Spain); Nagehan Uskan (Turkey). The collaborators of the five remix ateliers in cooperation with the Office for Social Rights (ODS) in Seville, Homo Faber in Lublin, Refugee Youth in London, İstanbul Bilgi University Migration Research Center and Tarlabaşı Community Center in Istanbul: Lublin, Warsaw: Dorota Borodaj (project coordinator), Agnieszka Salamończyk (project administrator), Karol Rakowski (artistic facilitator), David Sypniewski (artistic facilitator), Anna Dąbrowska (facilitator), Karol Radziszewski (consultations). Seville: Felipe G. Gil (project coordinator), Cristina Fernandez (facilitator), Nuria Sánchez (artistic facilitator), Guillermo Zapata (artistic facilitator). Pablo Navarro (facilitator), Lucas Tello (facilitator), José Luis Tirado (artistic facilitator), Silvia Nanclares (artistic facilitator). Istanbul: Gökçe Su Yoğurtçuoğlu (project coordinator), Sena Başöz (artistic director), Serdar Ferit (local trainer), Paulina Tervo (international trainer), Cemre Ceren Asarlı (atelier coordinator), Arda Bengü (technical supervisor), Mehmet Cem Ulugöl (web editor) and Aslı Demir (project administrator). London: Matt Cuzner (project coordinator), Kwame Lestrade (atelier coordinator and co-lead facilitator), Rebecca Potts (co-lead facilitator), Helene Siebermair (facilitator), Federico Rivs (facilitator), Liz Maxwell (facilitator), Malte Gembus (facilitator). The artistic collaborators of the residencies of ‘European Souvenirs’: Benito Jiménez and Pedro Jiménez (overall coordination, production and technical support), Juan Jiménez, Ruben Díaz, Toni Serra, Nuria García Atienza, Silvia Nanclares (narrative structure residency Seville), Filastine (music residency Istanbul), Chris Allen, Alice Ceresole and Tim Cowie of The Light Surgeons (tutors residency Warsaw and Malaga), Cansu Turan.
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European Cultural Foundation The European Cultural Foundation (ECF) is dedicated to supporting and connecting cultural change-makers in Europe whose work contributes to an ongoing crosssectoral debate on Europe and Europe’s place in the world. For 60 years, we have been striving towards an open, democratic and inclusive Europe in which culture is a valued and key contributor. ECF is grateful for the longstanding partnership with the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds. www.culturalfoundation.eu
Remapping Europe – A Remix Project Highlighting the Migrant’s Perspective has been funded with support from the European Commission. Please note this publication reflects the views of the author only, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
COLOPHON Editorial board: Dorota Borodaj, Matt Cuzner, Felipe G. Gil, Puck de Klerk, Vivian Paulissen, Jeske van Vossen, Gökçe Su Yoğurtçuoğlu Language editor: Vicky Anning Graphic design: The World as Flatland, Amsterdam Printer: Drukkerij Mart.Spruijt, Amsterdam EAN 9789062820627
All the films included in this catalogue are part of the Doc Next Network Media Collection (vimeo.com/groups/docnextnetwork). Unless otherwise stated, all works in the Doc Next Media Collection are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
This catalogue is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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AVAILABLE RESOURCES Remix room – archives Remapping Europe’s rough materials, images, interviews with collaborating artists and all media-makers, articles of the publication Remixing Europe, biographies and other documents that stem for the project are archived individually in this digital storage space and are brought into the public domain as a relevant archive that can feed others for their researches or just as new points of references. The documents in this archive do relate to each other in the project, however, we find that they can be useful and inspiring in other contexts too than our own project. Available online. Remix works resulting from the remix ateliers are archived in original MOV and MP4 files available on the resource space of the Media Collection. www.docnextnetwork.org/media-collection Interviews, previews, images, from the two live-cinema performances and blogs are available at www.europeansouvenirs.eu “Remixing Europe. Migrants, Media, Representation, Imagery”, 2014, published by Doc Next Network as part of the project Remapping Europe. Available on request and online. Findings of the seminar of Remapping Europe, “HOME”, ZEMOS98 Festival, April 2013. Available online. Resource index: links to other relevant studies, articles, networks, individuals relating to migration, Europe, media, remix, mapping. Available online. “Remapping Europe – a Remix: a case study in international and inter-institutional collaboration and networking” by Katherine Watson and Vivian Paulissen, 2014, in Migrating Heritage: Networks and Collaborations across European Museums, Libraries and Public Cultural Institutions by Ashgate Publishing Ltd, Wey Court East, Union Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PT, England. All available resources can be found on www.remappingeurope.eu
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