Caroline Irby

Claiming a new place on Earth  / Freedom is not easy – two projects with journalist Veronique Mistiaen 

Caroline collaborated with journalist Veronique Mistiaen on two exhibitions commissioned by the refugee charity Breaking Barriers. For the first, ‘Freedom is not easy’ (shown at The Proud Archivist in London in 2016) Caroline photographed twelve refugees now living in London, in the various places where they first felt free or safe after arriving in this city, and they shared their stories of flight and readjustment to a new life in the UK with journalist Veronique Mistiaen.

For the second exhibition, ‘Claiming a new place on Earth’ (shown at Protein Studios in London in 2017) Caroline photographed ten refugees now living in the UK in the context of their dream job, and Veronique interviewed each of them about the future they hope for.  This gallery contains images from both exhibitions.

Caroline and Veronique have worked on a number of humanitarian stories overseas and in the UK. They have travelled widely with their work, particularly in Africa and Asia where they have seen some of the causes that trigger people to flee their homes, and visited the camps where refugees and displaced people find shelter – usually in their own countries or in neighbouring states. But some refugees move further: some cross the Sahara, the Mediterranean and the Channel, and now live here in the UK.   Caroline and Veronique wanted to meet some of the refugees who have settled here, to learn what propels them to move so far, and to hear about their experiences of seeking – and sometimes finding – freedom, safety and a home in this city.

At a time when politicians and the media too often dehumanize refugees by referring to them as an anonymous mass, they wanted to restsore some of their identities by giving these twelve refugees a face and a voice.