BELONGINGS challenges anti-immigration narratives and creates pathways for belonging with people seeking sanctuary. It centres an exhibition by renowned artist Susan Aldworth featuring the imagined contents of the suitcase her grandmother brought with her when she was migrating from Northern Italy to London in 1924. Thirty-five individual antique clothes, including a nightgown that was in the original suitcase, are hand-embroidered with family photographs, stories and recipes. Suspended in mid-air, they highlight the transitory and emotional nature of an uprooted life.

“It upset me to find out that nothing much has changed in terms of migrant experience in 100 years in terms of stigma, prejudice and being kept an outsider. It seems to take 3 generations to feel that you BELONG.” - Susan Aldworth, artist

The immersive exhibition also features a Book of Belongings in which visitors are invited to write their own reflections on ‘belonging’ and what it might mean, at the current moment, for people seeking sanctuary in the UK.

BELONGINGS is important and timely considering that globally forced displacement is at a record high. In the UK, despite a rich history of positive migration impacts, policies have made it sometimes difficult for people who are seeking sanctuary to feel that they belong due to increasing experiences of racism and discrimination. Despite these experiences, they contribute to and enrich our communities culturally, educationally, economically, and through their work experiences and skills. BELONGINGS seeks to create inclusive spaces for mutual learning and working so that all may feel that they belong and can make a place for themselves.

The programme is organised by Prof Hanna Kienzler, from King’s Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, in collaboration with artist Susan Aldworth, Prof Cornelius Katona, Dr Leonie Ansems de Vries, Dr Guntars Ermansons, and A&M Consultancy. It forms part of a new season from King’s Culture, Lost and Found: Stories of sanctuary and belonging. The programme builds on work by members of the Refugee Mental Health and Place Network at King’s and it is supported by the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health.

Click the links below to book tickets for other events in the programme:

Programme Overview

Exhibition
Open from Wednesday 2 October – Friday 8 November 2024
The Arcade, Bush House, King’s College London

Talk and exhibition tour with artist Susan Aldworth
Wednesday 9 October, 13:00-14:00
The Arcade, Bush House, King’s College London

Film Screening: Matar + Q&A with director Hassan Akkad
Thursday 23 October 2024, 17:00-18:30
Nash Lecture Theatre, King's Building (Strand Campus), King’s College London

Embroidery Workshop – Session 1
Friday 18 October 2024, 11:00 – 13:00 with the option of sewing untutored until 14:00
The Arcade, Bush House, King’s College London

Embroidery Workshop – Session 2
Friday 18 October 2024, 14:00-16:00 with the option of sewing untutored until 17:00
The Arcade, Bush House, King’s College London

Talk and exhibition tour with artist Susan Aldworth
Thursday 24 October, 17:00-18:00 The Arcade, Bush House, King’s College London

From Arrival to Integration: Building communities for refugees and for Britain
The regional launch of the new report by the Commission on the Integration of Refugees
Thursday 30 October 2024, 18:00 – 20:00
Venue details TBA

Expert panel: The implications of safe pathways and belonging for refugee integration and mental health (Online)
Date & details TBA