Supported by Creative Europe, Liberty EU is a pan-European international arts programme led by UK cultural organisation ArtReach, the team behind the annual Journeys Festival International in the UK. Their three year programme will engage in creative integration, forging a new sense of identity and place for those who’ve had to find a new home in Europe, including sanctuary seekers, refugees and those who’ve been displaced from around the world.
Commissioned as part of the Liberty EU programme, we’ve created “Sounds of Sanctuary” – an installation for the Journeys Festival, involving recording and sampling a number of musician refugees and sanctuary seekers who’ve settled in the UK and Europe, from countries including Iran, Syria, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo and Turkestan. Originally planned with ourselves travelling around Europe to record and film, due to the pandemic and on-going travel restrictions, some of the recordings were directed remotely with local crews.
Artist research was undertaken by Sashwati Sengupta and the project features Seyed Ali Jaberi, Parisa Pirzadeh, Dilzat Turdi, Job Keyebe, Ephraim Kilongo, Zivai ‘Zee’ Guveya, Gemima Mbuyi-Tshimanga, Ghaeth Almaghoot, Jawdat Shaab and Zaher Alkaei.
