Bildergeschichten

Challenge

How to facilitate intercommunication between strangers from different countries, cultures, and ages? How to bring them together on one table and have them talk on eye level?

Process

Sophie Küsswetter and I collaborated to facilitate a fugitive shelter creative workshop. The subject was how to explore neighborhoods and neighbors. Together with the refugees, we met with fugitives, local residents and neighborhood initiatives to open a dialogue and share thoughts and ideas. Nearly after every meeting we were invited for tea by residents of the shelter to chat and get to know them better. They showed us photos and videos of their homes and families, which gave us the initial spark for our project.

Result

Our final approach 'Bildergeschichten' is a meeting concept for refugees and neighbors to share experiences with each other. By showing personal photographs a dialogue is started that unveils much about the owner. These meetings open the participants' mind for asking questions and creating a space where we get to know each other as individuals.

The entire project was about the different associations and stories behind photos and which give significance to the owner. We recorded the meetings and transcribed quotes of their stories intended for an analog exhibition which deals with one’s perceptions of these images.