ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ

By Rik Huizinga & Ilse van Liempt

On the 2^ndand 3^rdof June 2022 our HERA research project focused on ‘Refugee Youth, Public Space and Artistic Practice’ came to an end. To mark the ending of this project and to celebrate both the academic and the artistic output that was produced, we envisioned a conference in which we not only share the findings of our research project, but where we could also exhibit the work by refugees. We wanted to break open the conventional ways of disseminating academic knowledge, and to explore new ways of sharing and reflecting on our research findings.

But how do you unite two fields that are not often in conversation with each other? And how can you squeeze all this in a two-day programme? We involved the socio-cultural and art-based organisations we collaborated with throughout the research project in order to use their spaces as the ‘stage’ for our conference. Their expertise in facilitating exchange of knowledge and skills was invaluable. What we ended up with were excellent academic panel sessions on a basketball court followed up by a workshop on Sudanese cooking. And an insightful conference keynote in an art gallery in the middle of the artistic output that was created throughout the research project. All this turned out to be a very satisfying, insightful and inspirational experience.

Organizing a conference outside the university – interaction, reflection and connection
Our two-day programme took place in Amsterdam at BOOST and Framer Framed.  is a community center located in the heart of a residential neighbourhood in Amsterdam. As an organization, BOOST works towards a more inclusive society and the location serves as a space of encounter where newcomers and existing residents from the city of Amsterdam can meet and establish social networks.  is an Amsterdam based art gallery interested in expositions placed on the intersections of contemporary art, visual culture, and politics. Expositions at Framer Framed are coupled with public outreach through artist talks, lectures, and performances.

Next to the academic and artistic contributions, these spaces allowed us to offer workshops like a Sudanese cooking workshop, a button-making workshop, a workshop on teaching and learning about forced migration and a mediamaking workshop. There was also an opportunity to learn more about embroidery under the supervision of participants of the Espace Fxmme During these workshops the arts and the academy were really brought together in a stimulating way. But also the more formal panel discussions, yet away from traditional academic spaces, had a different spark which contributed to the conference being a safe space.      

One of the participants of the conference tweeted the following about the unique conference setting.

The setting also stimulated important discussions on research ethics. For example, critical questions were asked about the role of researchers in cultural and artistic spaces. How can we engage in reciprocal and empowering relationships with people working at, or participating in cultural or artistic activities to ensure sustainable research practices and how can we avoid research that has little benefits or impact. By being in direct contact with those researched – either at the community center or during the exposition – there was an incentive to rethink where we stand in terms of compassion and solidarity.

The research on refugee youth and public space
These settings proved to be an excellent background to share and discuss the findings and implications of our research project. In the past three years, we ‘hung out’ with young people with a migration background in various social, cultural and artistic spaces in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Leipzig, Brussels and Amsterdam. We used several research methods to get an understanding of everyday experiences of inclusion and exclusion such as observations, walking interviews, mapping, photo voice methods and peer interviews. Moreover, we were interested to know how the individual narratives we gathered related to discourses on arrival and settlement of refugees and asylum seekers in each of the four cities. To get an understanding of the structural conditions of arrival, we provided an analysis of local and national media articles as well as an overview of each city’s migration history and discourses around migration.

The insights provide much needed nuances in understanding refugee and asylum seeker youth’s relationships with public space. The presence of young refugees and asylum seekers in public space has been strongly problematized, especially in European immigration debates. Our project wanted to speak back to this discourse and document young people’s own voices. The research therefore focused on their use of public space, their everyday integration in European cities of arrival, the ways they contribute to inclusive and convivial spaces, and how they claim spaces as their own. It shows that arrival is a very complex and nuanced process highlighting the everyday negotiation of emotional attachments, desires and needs in new and unfamiliar societies.

Cultural and artistic organisation as spaces of home and belonging
We hope to have sparked an interest among researchers, practitioners and artists to explore new and exciting ways to share academic output. If you want to know more about the HERA research project or the final conference please visit the .

Bio
 is a postdoctoral researcher at the faculty of Human Geography and Planning at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ. 

Ilse van Liempt is Associate Professor in Urban Geography at the faculty of Human Geography and Planning at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ