The Art of Survival

The Art of Survival, a commission for international charity Save the Children, has been produced in collaboration with refugee communities, depicting what it’s really like to be a refugee child.

This series goes beyond the usual news reportage imagery of refugee crisis, bringing a fresh approach to humanitarian story telling. The 8 elaborately staged scenes bear witness to the hopes, fears and challenges faced by Burundian children seeking refuge in Tanzania, and Syrian children who have fled to Lebanon. It explores past memories, present-day realities and dreams for the future.

I worked with communities in Tanzania’s Nyarugusu refugee camp and Anjar informal settlement, in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley to co-create visual representation of their stories. The communities helped to build the large decorative sets, using mostly materials found in the camp. By using recycled humanitarian materials, I tried to turn symbols of loss and displacement into a canvass for children to express themselves. I wanted the artistic feel to be colourful, naïve and surreal. Almost like a play or fairy tale for adults, created by children.