Lifeline

'Lifeline' is the title of a series of soft-sculptural objects created by artist and researcher Lucy Orta. The objects are crafted in calico cotton; a fabric traditionally used to make toiles, or prototype garments. In this sense, Lifeline are un-finished, open-ended objects and serve as prompts to enable discussion and conversations, offering new avenues of thought.

A group of asylum seekers and refugees were invited to interact with and reflect on the meaning of Lifeline, to select an object with a personal meaning, and to discuss the challenges they faced on arrival and the opportunities that have helped to rebuild their new life in the UK. The responses form the narrative thread that accompany the photographs, which were selected by participants to shift the mainstream narrative that negatively affects individuals and families seeking refuge and asylum in the UK and advocating for a more compassionate future.

This Lifeline zine is one of the outcomes of the advocacy work conducted by Lucy Orta as co-investigator on the AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) funded project ‘Decolonising Fashion and Textiles: Design for Cultural Sustainability with Refugee Communities’. This participatory action research project explores the concepts of cultural sustainability and community resilience through the lived experience of refugees and asylum seekers.

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• https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/lkjLwgqyQk/r...
• https://mcusercontent.com/9af0b65b52db89...