ENCOUNTERS was a site-specific installation developed through an interdisciplinary collaboration between MArch Architecture and MA Photography students at Kingston School of Art. Featuring photographic and moving image works, the exhibition responded to the urgent themes of migration, refuge, and displacement. Created in partnership with Refugee Week and Counterpoints Arts, the project was defined by its collaborative spirit and its commitment to circular economy principles and reuse strategies.
Involvement in the project extended beyond exhibiting as an artist to include key responsibilities within the core planning team. These roles spanned the project's full lifecycle, encompassing conceptual development, curatorial strategy, spatial design, and the production of communications materials, including the exhibition leaflet.
Involvement in the project extended beyond exhibiting as an artist to include key responsibilities within the core planning team. These roles spanned the project's full lifecycle, encompassing conceptual development, curatorial strategy, spatial design, and the production of communications materials, including the exhibition leaflet.
For this dual role—contributing as both an exhibiting artist and a conceptual/spatial designer—the exhibition was framed as an 'encounter' on both a thematic and methodological level. Thematically, the work sought to challenge the impersonal labels often applied to displaced people, re-contextualising the crisis as an issue of universal ethics and the need to embrace 'otherness'.
Methodologically, the contribution served as a unique 'bridge' between photography and architecture. It provided a framework for applying architectural design principles to the spatial and conceptual curation of photographic works, highlighting the value of interdisciplinary collaboration in creating a meaningful dialogue on social justice.
Methodologically, the contribution served as a unique 'bridge' between photography and architecture. It provided a framework for applying architectural design principles to the spatial and conceptual curation of photographic works, highlighting the value of interdisciplinary collaboration in creating a meaningful dialogue on social justice.
