Photography: © Isabel Infantes
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Migrate journey
Collaboratively crafted by Mile End Community Project, architect Shahed Saleem, and photographer Rehan Jamil, Migrate Journey is more than just an artwork – it's a celebration of untold stories and the resilience of communities.
In 2017, Mile End Community Project delved deep into the lives of first and second-generation immigrants across Tower Hamlets, capturing their migration narratives through intimate interviews and community workshops. The result? A moving short film of original archive of oral histories that offers a unique window into the challenges, triumphs, and complexities of migration. This short film was funded by AMAL.
Drawing inspiration from this rich tapestry of human experience, Migrate Journey takes shape as a striking steelwork structure adorned with portraits of participants and excerpts from their testimonies. Resting on reclaimed railway carriage wheels, this scaffold-like installation embodies the themes of movement, labor, and the forging of new identities.
The installation made its debut at Chisenhale Gallery on 26 - 28 April 2024 before it embarks on a journey through public spaces across Tower Hamlets and neighbouring boroughs later this year. Through this tour, we invite reflection on the vital role of immigration in shaping the civic life and social fabric of our capital.
The launch of the installation included a series of enriching events, including a family-friendly zine-making workshop delivered by Khizr and the team at KYNSI, Migrate Journey film screening, Migration, Politics, and Change in the East End’ with Dr. Fatima Rajina, Kinsi Abdulleh, Dr. Georgie Wemyss, and David Rosenberg. There was also Spoken Word performances featuring Samira El Bhaja, Jamal Mahmood, and Muneera Pilgrim, and ‘Chit Chat Chai’ a relaxed conversation about Arts and Migration with writer and theatre director Hassan Mahamdallie.
The installation was funded by Untold Stories, part of the Mayor of London’s Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm, and supported by Chisenhale Gallery and the University of Westminster.