Photos

objects brought, objects met

“With electricity cut by the Syrian regime all the time and the unbearable heat, we had to buy a personal fan powered by batteries. This fan became the most important item to carry around. So, I carried it with me to Turkey, just in case.”
Ghufran

“I carried whatever Syrian pounds I had with me in my move to Turkey, thinking that I would turn back one day.”
Yusra

senses and reflections

“Friendship, love, and solidarity are what makes you keep going in a new place.”
Nisreen

“A reflection cannot depict the reality fully. It is not even a fragment of reality. But how you reflect yourself can shape the entire world around you.”
Hanan

us as others

“People in Turkey often make it very clear to us that we do not and cannot ever belong here. We must make our own belonging.”
Heba

“A national flag does not mean much on its own. But I feel like some people give the flag a moral meaning to exclude others.”
Dania

lives and remnants

“Life goes on with or without exploitative human politics. To exploit is not a necessity, but a choice.”
Huda

“Watching the flow of busy life and humans on the streets gives me a great sense of calm.”
Rima

landscapes and changes

“Every neighborhood is distinct in Istanbul. You can feel marginalized and left out simultaneously as you feel welcomed and embraced.”
Safiya

“My Turkish neighbors often argue that mosques are not welcoming for women. But I do not agree. I think the silence and grandness in a mosque is for everyone.”
Yasmin

celebrations

“Some Turkish people say that refugees enjoy life and leisure in parks and other places while Turks are busy trying to afford a living. They do not understand that refugee people struggle a lot to teach themselves joy and leisure at the times of pain. They do not understand the vital importance of holding onto life when facing death.”
Basma

“Women-only parties are not necessarily conservative. They are usually very empowering, because they are where we share problems, solutions, knowledge”
Lina

-the process-

Based on the themes on which the participants wanted to produce images, the moderator Fulya Pinar provided photography trainings and homework. As the participants wanted to practice Turkish language with the moderator, trainings were provided in Turkish with constant code-switching between Turkish, English, and different dialects of Arabic.