Stories of Refuge

Beginning in the 1960s, Munich was the arrival point of migrant workers from all destinations, and from there the “migrants” would be transported to their next unknown destinations. They had no say in where they would end up. In many cases, families were torn apart. Their new destination was a temporary camp where they were medically checked and behaviorally tested. From there, the factory was the beginning of their new lives.

Since the beginning of the Syrian revolution in 2011, Syrian refugees have been fleeing the brutality of the regime in Syria and searching for new destinations, Munich being one of them. Many of these asylum seekers arrive to Munich by land, crossing unofficial borders, through different European countries.

Dictaphone Group collaborated with a group of Syrian refugees who recently arrived in Munich. We gave each of these participants/collaborators a camera for a day, their only instructions being to film their daily lives in Munich and their favourite spots in the city. Together we produced both video and sound pieces that were presented in a public space in the city.
In a shipping container placed on a busy street in Munich, we invited the audience and passers-by to lay down on metal bunk beds and watch the videos shot by the asylum seekers.

Immersive Video Installation
Concept and Video Editing: Tania El Khoury
Devised with Petra Serhal
Videos shot by anonymous asylum seekers
Commissioned by Spielart Festival, Munich, 2013

Previous Shows
Spielart Festival, Munich, 2013
Pergine Festival, Pergine, 2014
B:om Festival, Seoul, 2015
Something Human, Nottingham, 2016
La Bellone Maison De Spectacle, Brussels, 2016
Cities As Community Spaces, Valetta, 2016
Counter Current, Houston, 2017
Kennedy Museum, Athens Ohio, 2018