Somewhere to call home: Refugee performance and the (re)creating of identity.

Abstract

This working paper explores performance activities used by and with refugee groups as part of their effort to continue to process experiences. Within this area of refugee studies, performance activities can be conceptualised as: “...gathering points that create a momentary sense of community” (Balfour, Hughes, & Thompson, 2009, in press). I will discuss two projects, one based in Logan City, Queensland working with new humanitarian entrants from Africa and the other a multiethnic project, Exodus, which used participatory photography, performance, and a combustible sculpture to explore the impact of migration in Margate, a seaside town in the UK. The paper assesses some strategies in how arts practice can engage individuals and groups from a refugee background, and explores the different ways in which the arts attempt to respond to issues of bicultural adjustment, social integration, and experiences of displacement.