2. On Becoming An Immigrant 2016-2020
Moving The Goalposts (2024)
https://www.blurb.co.uk/bookstore/invited/10246847/545cc41385e5d5263952e28a01f41bbc3cce1665
2. On Becoming An Immigrant, 2016-2020
“…All across the country, people felt legitimised. All across the country, people felt bereaved and shocked. All across the country, people felt righteous. All across the country, people felt sick. All across the country, people felt history at their shoulder. All across the country, people felt history meant nothing. All across the country, people felt like they counted for nothing. All across the country, people had pinned their hopes on it. All across the country, people waved flags in the rain. All across the country, people drew swastika graffiti. All across the country, people threatened other people. All across the country, people told people to leave. All across the country, the media was insane. All across the country, politicians lied. All across the country, politicians fell apart. All across the country, politicians vanished...”
Ali Smith, Autumn
Since the referendum on Europe on the 23rd June 2016 the questions of identity and belonging have become significant. I did not have a vote although I belong to the group most affected by the outcome. I felt my sense of security has been undermined. The government has endorsed the removal of statutory rights common to all Europeans when they live abroad. Suddenly after 24 years of living in England, I have become an immigrant in the country I have chosen to live in since 1992.
The Home Office has extended their hostile environment policy and is ostracising the 3 Million Europeans living lawfully in Great Britain: people are being deported, bank accounts are closed, jobs and mortgages are more difficult to secure. Only with the intervention of media these actions are reversed.
The so called settled status, set up for EU nationals is a further discrimination. Not receiving any evidence on paper has already affected travelling back to the UK, applying for jobs, accommodation or medical treatment. We are stripped of the right of free movement, living under the threat of losing our jobs and possibly deportation. As migrants, we are now constantly made to justify ourselves and are affected by the ever changing rules the government is setting.
For the following pieces I am using notebooks, photographs, sound, documents and government statistics collected since 2015 as starting point for reflecting on my experiences relating to Brexit .
I create images by obscuring the content, reducing them to fundamental shapes and forms until there are only traces of the original remaining.
List of Works:
Project Fear ( 2019)
The Path; The Briefs; The Effects
9 images; (1220X1220mm), c-prints
3 sound collages; political Brexit speeches 2015 to 2017
in collaboration with Anna Power
The Will Of The People (2020)
4 images; (1220X1220mm), c-prints
It Is Just A Place I Stay In (2016-2020)
9 images; image size 780 X1050mm, c prints
The Way It Is ( Summer 2016-Spring 2020)
8 images; (140X140mm),c-prints
https://www.blurb.co.uk/bookstore/invited/10246847/545cc41385e5d5263952e28a01f41bbc3cce1665
2. On Becoming An Immigrant, 2016-2020
“…All across the country, people felt legitimised. All across the country, people felt bereaved and shocked. All across the country, people felt righteous. All across the country, people felt sick. All across the country, people felt history at their shoulder. All across the country, people felt history meant nothing. All across the country, people felt like they counted for nothing. All across the country, people had pinned their hopes on it. All across the country, people waved flags in the rain. All across the country, people drew swastika graffiti. All across the country, people threatened other people. All across the country, people told people to leave. All across the country, the media was insane. All across the country, politicians lied. All across the country, politicians fell apart. All across the country, politicians vanished...”
Ali Smith, Autumn
Since the referendum on Europe on the 23rd June 2016 the questions of identity and belonging have become significant. I did not have a vote although I belong to the group most affected by the outcome. I felt my sense of security has been undermined. The government has endorsed the removal of statutory rights common to all Europeans when they live abroad. Suddenly after 24 years of living in England, I have become an immigrant in the country I have chosen to live in since 1992.
The Home Office has extended their hostile environment policy and is ostracising the 3 Million Europeans living lawfully in Great Britain: people are being deported, bank accounts are closed, jobs and mortgages are more difficult to secure. Only with the intervention of media these actions are reversed.
The so called settled status, set up for EU nationals is a further discrimination. Not receiving any evidence on paper has already affected travelling back to the UK, applying for jobs, accommodation or medical treatment. We are stripped of the right of free movement, living under the threat of losing our jobs and possibly deportation. As migrants, we are now constantly made to justify ourselves and are affected by the ever changing rules the government is setting.
For the following pieces I am using notebooks, photographs, sound, documents and government statistics collected since 2015 as starting point for reflecting on my experiences relating to Brexit .
I create images by obscuring the content, reducing them to fundamental shapes and forms until there are only traces of the original remaining.
List of Works:
Project Fear ( 2019)
The Path; The Briefs; The Effects
9 images; (1220X1220mm), c-prints
3 sound collages; political Brexit speeches 2015 to 2017
in collaboration with Anna Power
The Will Of The People (2020)
4 images; (1220X1220mm), c-prints
It Is Just A Place I Stay In (2016-2020)
9 images; image size 780 X1050mm, c prints
The Way It Is ( Summer 2016-Spring 2020)
8 images; (140X140mm),c-prints