Commissioned towards the end of the pandemic, and as part of the Liberty EU programme, we created “Sounds of Sanctuary” for the Journeys Festival International, 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. The piece, created as a backdrop for live poetry, was originally planned with ourselves travelling around Europe to record and film, but due to the pandemic and international travel restrictions at the time, some of the recordings were directed remotely with local crews.
Supported by the EU’s Creative Europe programme, Liberty EU is a pan-European international arts initiative led by UK cultural organisation ArtReach, the team behind the annual Journeys Festival International. 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 refugees and those who’ve been displaced from around the world.
To read more about the musicians, please visit our Orchestra of Samples blog on this link. 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.
