Platforma

For anyone involved in refugee-related arts, the Platforma project is worth exploring. There’s a website where artists and organisations can upload work and connect with others around the country.

In November-December 2011 there was also a very lively and wide-ranging Festival, which took place in East London at Rich Mix and Rochelle School. Click here to read the report.

You can also click here for the interviews which we carried out with participants. These are available to download and share on not-for-profit radio programmes.

Connected Communities – report from the RSA

The RSA (the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce), has just published an interesting report: Connected Communities: How social networks power and sustain the Big Society

The researchers explored two areas: New Cross Gate in South East London and Knowle West in Bristol. There’s a detailed report by Rachel Williams on the New Cross Gate findings in Guardian Society today (15th September) ‘Big Society’ facilitators are found within communities.

The Knowle West part of the survey will be covered in more detail in a future report from the RSA. Even in brief in this report, it’s interesting as far as community media goes – the focus for the qualitative study method in that area is the Knowle West Media Centre.

Knowle West Media Centre is described as a “a key hub in the community” which “uses digital means to foster awareness of and engagement with social issues in the area”.

The report quotes a case study showing how input and support from KWMC helped local residents to get a much-needed bus route reinstated (see page 48 for details).

According to the report, work is ongoing, with the researchers “continuing to collect collect, stimulate and analyse data on socio-digital inclusion” – they plan to publish a report on the subject later this year.

So even if it’s too late for this report, or outside the scope of this study, community media practitioners everywhere should be sending examples to the RSA researchers and responding to the current report – download it, tweet it, circulate it, discuss it on air and make sure similar projects and results are highlighted as ‘Big society’ already in action on the ground.

Refugee Week conference 2010

Last week (Friday 22nd January) I was at the Refugee Week conference, held at Amnesty International’s London headquarters in London. It was an excellent day – some inspiring speakers and lots of good networking.

Refugee Week is a UK-wide programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK, and encourages a better understanding between communities. Refugee Week 2010 takes place from 14 to 20 June.

Refugee Week itself has been running since 1998 and is going from strength to strength. There is now also an ongoing linked campaign called Simple Acts, which has really taken off.

For the past four years London Link Radio has been co-ordinating Refugee Week Radio – this is independent but endorsed by Refugee Week, and aims to provide a focal point for community stations and groups around the country to publicise and link their Refugee Week coverage, plus an opportunity for London-based trainees and volunteers to take part.

At the conference, as part of the workshop on media coverage, I gave a brief guide to community media including lots of examples. It’s by no means exhaustive – if any station or group would like to add something about their Refugee Week coverage (previous or planned), just let me know and we’ll add a link to the website.

Seizure

I just managed to catch Seizure, the extraordinary copper sulphate sculptural growth covering the walls, ceiling and even bath in an empty council flat, which was created – or encouraged to grow – by Turner Prize nominee Roger Hiorns. I went on the last day, Sunday 3rd January.

It was a bright, crisp sunny day – waiting outside in the cold was part of the whole experience, with everyone queuing like pilgrims for more than an hour in the courtyard between the boarded-up flats.

Documenting migration event at Gasworks

On Saturday 5th December, I attended an event ‘Documenting Migration’, part of the ongoing exhibition ‘Do You Remember Olive Morris?’ at Gasworks contemporary art organisation in South London. Olive Morris was a Brixton-based activist who died young from cancer.

As part of the event there was a ‘reverse’ migration experience for delegates: people from the UK and the EU were given a migration interview before they could come in, whilst those from elsewhere in the world were waved through.

One of the speakers was Marula Di Como, from the Berlin-based collective migrantas. Because migrant women and their experiences often remain invisible to the majority of society, migrantas aims to make visible the thoughts and feelings of those who have left their own country and now live in a new one. The collective, most of whom themselves migrated to Germany, work with migrant women to create powerful art forms which are then used in public spaces to raise awareness of migrant issues.

Also at the event was Eva McKend, from The Pod @ KCL – King’s College Radio and Podcasting Society. Together we recorded material for Radio 1812, a global audio project for International Migrants Day on 18th December. You can download or listen to Eva’s report as a podcast here.