The long-lasting devastation of war, our connections and relationships to that devastation - how do we build lasting relationships?
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The TIGER GIRLS of Zaatari share what they most want the world to know at this time – unexpectedly, this became what the COVID-19 pandemic has meant to them.
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These are both precious and dangerous times to commit anything to writing; still a time for feeling over pronouncements?
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Helen Storey, Professor in Fashion & Science at the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, has collaborated with Laura Baker, Technical Coordinator Print at Central Saint Martins, on a unique project to mark World Refugee Day, Saturday 20 June.
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Travelling between London College of Fashion (LCF) and Zaatari Refugee camp on the Syrian/ Jordan border these past 5 years has been a time of immense learning for me; Zaatari itself and everyone who lives there are teachers of the most extraordinary kind, showing us what resilience, innovation and sustainability truly are – everything happens through being in vital and reciprocal relationship.
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London College of Fashion, UAL and the UNHCR are pleased to announce that Professor Helen Storey (Centre for Sustainable Fashion) will continue in her role as UNHCR Designer in Residence into 2020. For the past 4 years Helen has worked side by side with refugees living in Zaatari, one of the world’s largest refugee camps, responding to their needs and wishes and co creating projects which nurture entrepreneurship, creativity and financial independence through the lens of fashion.
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Since January 2019, Professor Helen Storey has been working with the UNHCR as ‘Artist in Residence’ at Za’atari Refugee Camp, Jordan. With a variation of projects successfully exchanging knowledge and empowering those in the camp through making. Helen’s work has enabled multiple developments including ‘Carving Time’ an exhibition in London of work by artist Tarek from Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan – on until 31 January 2020.
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At the beginning of the year, Anna Fitzpatrick from Centre for Sustainable Fashion starting supporting Helen with her work in Za’atari. In February Anna joined Helen in Za’atari. Since then she’s been trying to making sense of herexperience. Here she reflects on the experience and the opportunity to understand more about how to live life in London and what needs to be done there to affect useful change there in Za’atari.
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The true scale of Zaatari became apparent during an unexpected visit to the roof of the central water tower, the highest spot in town, accompanied by our UNHCR translator and guide. A vast expanse of barren desert, covered as far as the eye can see in all directions by groups of white caravans arranged into family compounds, agremented by corrigated iron porches and covered courtyards. Battered by the scorching dust of summer and the cruel cold of winter, these rudimentary container homes house almost 80,000 people.
The barren exterior common to all the compounds is broken here and there by vivid graffiti, sometimes whole districts have a common theme - defiant colours proclaiming fury, defiance, hope - and beauty.
Helen reflects on what 2018 has shown her and some of the new emerging aptitudes for her as a designer and Artist in Residence at Za’atari Refugee Camp in 2019.
This city of the future zings between all our opposites.
Patience with urgency, trauma and joy, complexity with simplicity, between confidences deeply held, whilst gossip abounds, with what can be known, but not spoken of, to the most extreme manifestation – hope, in the same mind as despair. As if minds themselves, have developed new capacities to simultaneously hold and express these paired opposites, as one new emotion.
Helen and Deepa are longtime collaborators and have worked closely together in Za’atari. Deepa’s creativity lies in a core understanding of our inner worlds and she has a gift for intuiting what is needed to bring people together, facilitating uplifting and positive outcomes.
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Za’atari Refugee Camp – September 2017
A group of 24 Syrian women in Jordan’s Za’atari refugee camp have been trained in fragrance creation by Givaudan fragrances to help create new beauty products and local businesses. They are part of an initiative Helen Storey is getting off the ground titledB eauty co-op, enhancing the women’s, already considerable skills and talents, is part of a wider project to further develop new opportunities by realising their entrepreneurial skills beyond the camp also.
Read More“WE ARE NOW FACED WITH THE FACT THAT TOMORROW IS TODAY. WE ARE CONFRONTED WITH THE FIERCE URGENCY OF NOW. IN THIS UNFOLDING CONUNDRUM OF LIFE AND HISTORY, THERE “IS” SUCH A THING AS BEING TOO LATE. THIS IS NO TIME FOR APATHY OR COMPLACENCY. THIS IS A TIME FOR VIGOROUS AND POSITIVE ACTION.”
— MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:
Thank you to the many wonderful human beings who have made this project possible -
Paul Albert, Ezzidin Alwan, Shane Bailey, Trish Belford, David Betteridge, Kiran Birk, Orsola De Castro, Chiana Capacyachi, Noemie Cavaliion - Ram, Georgina Chatfield and RSA Academies, Johnathan Chippindale, Alex Chunie, Caroline Coates, Agatha Connolly, Loukia Constantinou, Paul Copsey, Frances Corner, Tom Cranstoun, Renee Cuoco, Jon Daughtry, Nik Daughtry, Josh De Souza Crook, Lida Driva, Anna Fitzpatrick, Joanne Frears, Russell Freeman, Nikos Georgopoulos, William Gordon, Ellie Greaves, Sharan Grewal, Keith Hallam, Corin Harper, Noah Henderson, Claudine Henry, Mathew Higgins, Rosie Higham – Stainton, Stuar Hill, Seth Honnor, Pierre Houdyer, Marion Hume, Susan Ibreck, Shinny Jain, Bel Jacobs, Gavin Jenkins, Dave Johnson, Rebecca Johnstone, Cheonga Kim, Darren Kirby, Rob Knifton, Tim Kurz, Steve Legget, Andrej Mahecic, Ben Martin, Denise Maynard, Paula Maynard, Fiona McAuliffe, Sandy Munns, Rebecca Munro, Jon Nichols, Zoe Norton, Louise Owen, Laura Padoan, Irini Papadimitriou, Michele Paradise, Deepa Patel, Benjamin Rajapandian, Robert Randall, Naomi Richmond-Swift, Glyn Roberts, Jeff Rosevear, Phil Sams, Michael Saunby, Hilda Sheppard, Imogen Slater, Jess Smulders Cohen, Fiona Spence, Wendy Spinks, Carol Allen Storey, Mark Tarbard, Erin Thompson, Burcu Turkay, Cindy van Rees, Judith Wichmann, Binu Wickramsinghe, Dilys Williams