Life post-Brexit
Brexit for EU-citizens living in the UK
The decision for the UK to leave the EU is one that not only transforms the socio-political structures of the country but also consequently affects people’s self-image and understanding of their identity. We use mixed media collage to document how EU nationals feel they are affected by Brexit, their views on their future in the UK and their strategies in response to the referendum. We want to highlight how identities are negotiated and constructed.
Brexit has created a situation where many white (western) Europeans feel stigmatised in the same way people of colour and black people do in their everyday lives. With this project, we wish to highlight some of the mechanisms which racialise bodies. Moreover, we want to create a broader understanding of the stigmatisation many people face because of their race, ethnicity, religion and origins. This project is a contribution to portraying a turbulent time in the history of the UK and Europe.
A big thank you to our lovely supporters!
Michel
Michel, mixed media collage with newspaper, processed photo and wallpaper, 2017 Shortly before the referendum, I became a homeowner. Having no family ties in England, it was with mixed feelings that I decided to sign up for a mortgage and commit to this being my home for at least several years to come. After the referendum result, I have been…
Kasia
Kaisa, digital collage with photography, 2017 Kasia is not worried This is how democracy works My first reaction to the referendum was anger. I have done my PhD here. I have contributed to the progress of science here, I have paid taxes here. I have done more for the UK than for my own home country. But all that…
Renate
Renate, digital collage, 2017 I am in shock but not surprised because I’d seen it coming. Indicators were there all along, in the responses at work and in public, in the media. Two nights before the referendum I was watching the news and could not help but to cry because I could see it happening. I could not understand…
Work in progress
Working towards a group exhibition in May. More info coming up soon.
WIP II
… and it keeps on going
Exhibition
Thank you everyone who participated and supported the project! We were pleased to show some of the collages last Friday and Saturday at Lucy Cavendish College. We will share rest of stories here soon!
Aude
Aude, mixed media collage with processed photography, newspaper, UK residency application form, and origami paper, 2017 I fell in love with London in 2010 and decided to move to a country, where I could be myself, in all my complexities. London was the only place where I felt like I could fit. I felt like my blackness was accepted and…
Burcu
Burcu, mixed media collage with processed photography, and wallpaper, 2017 Nine years ago my husband and I left the Netherlands where Wilder was getting stronger. We escaped the rise of the far-right and moved here, to live in a country with softer values. But the same thing is now happening here, especially after the Brexit referendum. I worry about whether…
Daniel
Daniel, mixed media collage with processed photography, newspaper and origami paper, 2017 I have lived here for 11 years, me and my husband have a house here, we met here as a couple, our friends are here, this is where we live. Britain has a multicultural society which I enjoy. But now I feel less at home in England than…
Moniek
Moniek, mixed media collage with processed photography and origami paper, 2017 For me, this bike is almost a symbol of the person I was when I was living in Amsterdam. I have always loved cycling on it in Cambridge. Perhaps some car drivers didn’t like me on the road, but in general, I felt that people were positive about this…