Worldwide, more than 60 million people are on the run. More than 60 million individual stories. Stories everybody should hear.
Power of Art House wants to give these stories, these people, a human face. By telling their stories and opening eyes. Making connections and showing people a different way of looking at refugees. Encouraging empathy and strengthening social cohesion. Not to blame or shame or judge, but to show the human suffering in the stories of each and every refugee.
Moving People is a street art project in which everybody can show commitment to refugees and let their voices be heard in a creative way. If you happen to find one of the miniatures, you can take it with you and place it somewhere else. In this way you can contribute physically to the project by moving the miniatures around the city, country, or even the world. Move and be moved.
In September 2015, we launched our street art project Moving People; 10.010 mini-refugees appeared all over Amsterdam and The Hague. On park benches, at stations, at traffic lights, along the canals, in the zoo, in front of various ministries, in the train….they popped up everywhere! They travelled to other cities and countries like the USA, China, Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Croatia and many more.
And they still are! Check out all the places where our Moving People have been placed and spotted so far.
The ten miniatures represent real people and their moving stories. Small but tangible stories of human voices behind the endless numbers of refugees in the news headlines. These are stories that need to be told, with an artistic – but non-political – twist. The small figures are meant to move, to literally travel through the city. We show the human stories behind the overwhelming news footage and so-called ‘swarms of refugees.’
How?
First of all, ten real-life stories needed to be found. Through various social media channels and refugee organizations, we found ten people who wanted to share their story with us. After interviewing them, they posed for a 3D scanner in positions to reflect their memories and feelings. 3D scans and subsequent prints were made resulting in small figures of approximately 11 cm. With these figurines, we started to make silicone molds.
In collaboration with the local sheltered workplace in Amsterdam, Pantar, all the 10.010 handmade figures were produced and painted with environmentally friendly materials. All the miniatures have a sticker directing to the website movingpeople.nu. Here you can read the ten unique and moving stories of each miniature.
Sharing = caring
Moving People is a street art project in which everybody can show commitment to refugees and let their voices be heard in a creative way. If you happen to find one of the miniatures, you can take it with you and place it somewhere else. The miniatures are loosely stuck to the various surfaces with a small sticker.
In this way you can contribute physically to the project by moving the miniatures around the city, country, or even the world. Move and be moved.
Share your picture of one of the miniatures on social media? Please use #MovingPeople
From September 10 till October 31 2015, we organised an exhibition about Moving People in collaboration with Humanity House in The Hague.
Moving People was sponsored by:
Dutch Council for Refugees, Amsterdam Fund for the Arts (AFK) & Fonds 1818
