'Where Are You From?' window installation for the Migration Museum in Lewisham

Another fun installation window project I worked on was this "Where Are You From?" window display for the Migration Museum in Lewisham. The installation is about the question "Where Are You From?" and how problematic and intrusive I find it. This is often asked to people who are not white and / or have an accent. As if somebody's skin colour or voice was a novelty that requires further investigation. I know some people only ask out of curiosity or in the name of small talk but I personally think it's not an appropriate question to ask a stranger. This is how I feel and I know I'm not the only one who feels that way so I really wanted this installation to start a conversation about what 'Where Are You From?' really means. The installation was also about sharing a bit of my family history and Comorian heritage. It gave me the opportunity to literally put Comoros on the map as very often, because of how small it is, Comoros is not on maps and as a result people have no idea where Comoros is. I hope I did my bit to raise Comoros profile! The letters were made of laser cut Cardboard, paint and traditional East African textile called kanga or lesso. As I wanted the installation to be interactive and to encourage people to share how the question 'Where Are You From?' meant to them and made them feel, I created some postcards where people could share their experience in regards to that question. I knew this was a topic that a lot of non-white people would relate to so I thought this would be a great opportunity to open up that conversation. The 'Where Are You From?' postcard I designed had a Black and White version of my installation at the front that people can colour in response to the question. At the back, there was space for people to share their feelings about what 'Where Are You From?' means to them and also to share something about where they're from if they were keen to do so. All the filled postcards were collected by the museum and I also invited anyone filling a postcard to share them online using the hashtag #WhereAreYouFromMM. The aim was to keep a record of the conversations the installation would bring and also to celebrate all the different cultures that live / pass through Lewisham.