Dialogues Across Borders questions and explores who are we to each other as the 'refugee crisis' unfolds.
In 2016 a makeshift photography and poetry exhibition was co-created by refugees and volunteers at Lesvos Solidarity - Pikpa on the Greek island of Lesvos. The transnational friendships forged in this context and sustained by social media became the catalyst to a series of travelling interactive exhibitions across Europe.
In this workshop we explore methodologies of trans-border networking and the cultural alliances developed through shared play and co-creation.
Who are we and who are we becoming? Through play can we co-create new understandings of the refugee crisis? What does it mean politically to bring play into a context that is determined by legal and media discourses? Can play help us relate to each other in new ways?
The workshops are led by Elena Boukouvala, Marie Gillespie and Knut Bry.Yulie Tzirou & Lena Altinoglou will be joining the team. Lena Altinoglou is coordinator of the bag workshop at Pikpa and Yulie Tzirou is coordinator of social media and photographer. They are both members of Lesvos Solidarity - Pikpa team.
Elena Boukouvala is a performance activist, dramatherapist and psychologist from Greece. Founder of Play is Hope (www.playishope.com) and graduate of East Side Institute.
Marie Gillespie is an academic, activist and action researcher from Open University. Knut Bry is an acclaimed photographer from Norway. Their collaboration originated while volunteering at the open refugee camp ofLesvos Solidarity - Pikpa.