HAZEMS_
STORY_
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Caption on Instagram:
Who are refugees, before they are refugees? When thinking of refugees, we often think of the harrowing and shocking stories in relation to their journey. But who are they before this journey? When we start to uncover this, we start to see them as more than a statistic.
Based on the exhibition 'human refugees' collated by @miholynsoon , I wanted the viewer to walk Hazems path, from his life before the crisis, to his life now, immersing them in photographs and details of his everyday life. It then starts to become clear how many similarities we all share.
COMMENTS
Humanising a refugee by sharing personal details and photos, ensured an emotive and realtable response from viewers. After interviewing Hazem a second time, I asked him more personal questions about his life before the crisis. His words, and the photos he shared with me, were then separated into categories: Life before the crisis, Journey and Life now.
After separating quotes and photos into categories, they were printed on paper and hung in a busy corridor. This ensured a constant flow of people through the installation. People were then, unintentionally walking through hazems journey from past to present. The surrounding papers blew gently in the wind around people as they walked past, creating a calming atmosphere. The exhibit aimed to humanise Hazem and allow people to view him as more than a ‘refugee.’ This is often the case when people read stories and see shocking images in the media.
Miholyn Soon
Hazems Story
Hazems Reaction