Expedition

Expedition is a documentary film about young Kurdish refugees on the brink of adulthood alone in a foreign country. The film, partly made by the young people themselves, was a product of a year-long cross-disciplinary youth project with Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield Young People’s Service and Urban Space.

The film follows a group of young Kurdish refugees venturing into the Yorkshire landscape to explore their new country of residence and to express their cultural background to people they encountered. Their charming dance performance won the hearts of school children, golf players and dog-walkers alike. The expedition reflected a rite of passage; facing adulthood alone in a foreign country.

The group consisted of 15-19-year-old Kurdish young men from Iran and Iraq. They  fled their country alone, often on the back of a lorry and many of them had no contact with their families due to security reasons.

The project involved weekly meetings during which the group devised a traditional dance performance, planned and prepared for the film, took part in video workshops, danced with local Morris dancers, documented their daily lives through a photo diary, practiced map reading, first aid, pitching tents and so on. It was also very important for the young people to simply have the chance to get together and cook and share a warm Kurdish meal once a week. The purpose of the project was to encourage integration and inter-cultural dialogue.

The two-day expedition and raising awareness through the performance and film work contributed towards a Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award, with which the young people were presented at Yorkshire Sculpture Park on 22 November 2007. The group showed remarkable enthusiasm, commitment and courage during the expedition by performing their traditional dance both spontaneously and at agreed venues and interacting with people they encountered.

Partners in the project were Wakefield Asylum Seekers Team, Wakefield Young People’s Service, Urban Space and Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park got involved as part of Meeting Point, a long-term project that involves people seeking asylum, refugees and migrants in activities at YSP. We collaborate with the local authority and organisations to set up arts projects and offer work experience, workshops and days out.

The film part of the project was managed by YSP and the film was produced, directed and partly filmed by Education and Community Co-ordinator Johanna McTiernan.

Click here to download a clip of the film.
Please note you will need Quicktime 7 or above installed to view this film.