“BEYOND THE VISIBLE: THE REFUGEE WHO TELLS HIMSELF” PROJECT

MIGRATION THROUGH THE EYES OF CHILDREN AND THOSE ENGRAVED IN MEMORY

The activities within the scope of the visual culture and representation project titled “BEYOND THE VISIBLE: THE REFUGEE WHO TELLS HIMSELF”, which was implemented in cooperation with Istanbul Aydın University (IAU) Faculty of Communication, Department of Advertising, Anadolu Education and Culture Foundation (AKEV), Turkish Refugee Council (TMK), Küçükçekmece Municipality and Umit Stubborn Art Center, started at IAU Faculty of Communication on May 14, 2022. This special project, supported by the European Union (EU), focuses on refugee children aged in secondary education and focuses on this deep problem through their eyes.

The issue of migration and refugee, which has turned into a global humanitarian crisis over the years and the effects of which are reaching more shocking dimensions every day, is once again on the agenda with the “BEYOND THE VISIBLE: SELF-EXPLANATORY REFUGEE” project. The project, designed for students who migrate/are forced to migrate for different reasons and live their lives within the borders of Turkey, tries to understand how refugee children who are experiencing the personality building process perceive themselves, their families and their surroundings in new living conditions and what their expectations are from social life. The EU-supported project conveys real stories from the field on a creative platform. The project moves from the necessity of a work based on visual representation in terms of creating an observation area where problems such as interpersonal communication, intercultural communication, empathy, understanding the other, integration and harmony will be examined. Within the scope of the project consisting of information, dialogue and educational workshops, 25 refugee students between the ages of 13 and 17 participated in the training held at the Faculty of Communication of IAU. Dec. Prof. Dr. Umit Stubborn (Umit Stubborn Art Center) and Dr. Teach At the first stage of the training given by member Nazlı Köksal (IAU), theoretical information about visual representation and visual communication was presented to the students. At the second stage of the training, applications for visual expression were made through the analysis of selected photos from around the world and Turkey. After the training, the result that will come out of the work of the students who have started to photograph their daily lives will be presented to the audience with a special exhibition and seminar. The works bearing the signature of the students will be examined by visual communication experts and sociologists participating in the project in the seminar environment. In addition, a book will be published within the scope of the project, in which student photos and visual analysis texts will be included.