Stories for Change explores new narratives and ways of storytelling involving EU citizens living in London.
Complex and non-linear migration stories are captured through series of photographs seeking to understand lived experiences and identities by shifting the focus from portraits to objects, places and spaces that shape our stories and sense(s) of belonging in the UK and beyond. What one sees are visual fragments of life trajectories, amplified by extracts from interviews with participants discussing themes of journey, belonging, and identity.
The aim of this project is to normalise migration and humanise migrants in order to divert from some of the existing narratives used in public discourse that often put migration and migrants into certain boxes and reduce them to stereotypes. When you look at these stories, you won’t necessarily know the name, age, nationality, gender, ethnicity or occupation of participants. Instead, you will see their surroundings, the places they cherish, the things that have special meanings to them, and fragments of their life histories in their own words, which reveal more about who they are.
This project was created in collaboration with Carolina Henriques, who I met through the Stories for Change campaigning programme of the3million, which aims to have EU citizens’ voices heard directly by the media and policy makers, raising EU citizens’ issues and bringing our community together. We connected over our shared interest in migrant justice, passion for photography and experiences as immigrants in the UK that sparked the idea for this work.
The photo series was first exhibited in London in December 2023 at the Common Ground conference and at the EU Citizens’ Gathering organised by the EU delegation to the UK.
the3million is the largest grassroots organisation for EU citizens in the UK, formed after the 2016 referendum to protect the rights of people who have made the UK their home. Their vision is a world where EU citizens can thrive, reach their potential and have an equal voice in UK society.
