Our collaborative work is made up of photography, poetry, textiles, and story-telling to re-present the lived experiences of the refugees that have built the Bosnia Herzegovina Association in Nottingham and an Afghan Community in West Ealing, London. The work tells of experiences of exile and also of 'belonging' ­ of building homes and communities in the East Midlands and in the London region. The exhibition seeks to counter negative media stereotypes and produces positive representations that speak of the rich cultural contributions refugees and asylum seekers bring to cities and communities.

This work is part of a larger project developed by Maggie O'Neill that includes working across the East Midlands with Bea Tobolewska (City Arts) funded by the AHRB and East Midland Arts to develop a cultural strategy for working with asylum seekers and refugees in the region. The latter work was launched in September 2002. An international conference was hosted at Staffordshire University to explore themes of exile, displacement and belonging with a view to developing a sociology of forced migration (exile, displacement and belonging).  Stephen Castles  (Director of the Refugee Studies  centre at Oxford)delivered a key note paper that mapped out the foundations for a sociology of forced migration. (See  Sociology Volume 37, No 1, February 2003)

The methodology for our collaborative work is based upon Participatory Action Research and Participatory Arts. The communities are centrally involved in the research and outcomes of the work. The research seeks to develop alternative forms of re-presenting and raising awareness of the lived experiences of 'refugees' from Bosnia-Herzegovina living in the East Midlands, and from Afghanistan living in London at the start of the twenty first century.

Life story narratives are re-presented in visual and photographic form. The participants (artists) are the co-creators of the research. The research team includes the Bosnia-Herzegovina Association, Nottingham, City Arts, Nottingham, the Afghan Youth Association, London, Exiled Writers Ink!, University of East London and Staffordshire University. The artist collaborating on the work and facilitating the work of the group is Maggy Milner.

An exhibition to launch the work opened at Watermans Arts Centre, near Kew Gardens in London 19th October 2002, followed by a workshop at Watermans on the 20th October.

The work of the Bosnian Association is by Fahira, Enisa, Leyla, Adnan, Rabija, Sulio, Vesna, Selma, Shemsa and Senad, from the Bosnian Association. Bea and Hilary(City Arts), Maggy, and Maggie facilitated the art work for the Bosnian association. The work of an Afghan community is presented by Suhaila, Manija, Zarah, Karim,Karim, Berang, and Hamid. Evlynn, Nelissa and Jennifer from Exiled Writers Ink! facilitated the Afghan work alongside Anna Musgrave from STAR and UEL and Maggie.

The Arts and Humanities Board (AHRB), Staffordshire University, City Arts, and Watermans funded the work.

Maggie O'Neill (m.oneill@lboro.ac.uk) Bea Tobolewska (bea.t@virgin.net) Maggy Milner (magsmiln@dircon.co.uk)