“The Jungle” | Manchester School of Art

“The Jungle” was made in response to Europe “refugee crisis” taking shape in 2016. As the title highlights this work focus particularly on the refugee settlement in Calais that was provocatively named “The Jungle” by the British media.  I visited the refugee settlement in August 2016 months before it’s subsequent demolition and then again in January 2017. During my first visite to Calais, I was touched by the resilience, strength and resourcefulness of everybody I met. However, my second visit was more frustrating, as I saw how little had been done since to meet the needs of the thousands of displace people still sleeping rough.

I wanted to create a piece of work that would offer a sensory understanding of the camp and get people thinking about what it might be like to be displaced. The pallet structure creates a space to house research, ideas, objects and reflections, whilst evoking simultaneously the structure of the camp.

During my two visits I documented my time there through audio recordings, recording everyday sounds of Calais and the conversations I had. For example, you can hear the train station where refugees are caught, arrested and detained on a daily basis, police dogs barking, as well as conversations and interactions with refugees as they go about their day. The recordings are interspersed with moments of silences evoking the great gaps of uncertainty and confusion.

“The Jungle” was selected for The Manchester School of Art Degree Show Award for Fine Art & Art History, by Sarah Perks: Artistic Director of Visual Art at HOME, Manchester.