Behind the scenes: HEY SALAM HOLA BWAKEYE - An audio-visual exhibition for Refugee Week

I want to tell you about something incredible I was part of recently. We spent a few days making memories with Shanzay, Faisal, Shadia, Kwizera, Josie, Idris, Billie, Tia, Bemnet, Daniel, Hanna, Leen, Moaz, Chelsea, Bsrat and Salim. Yes, everyone is important!

So I was called to cover BTS for day one. We started of at a nail salon for the first location, this was Shanzay's place in London, a very colourful spot where I imagine the nail art sparking conversations. Shanzay is a natural storyteller and when I see the photos I can see beauty and power, all of it makes sense!

Second call of the day was a special spot in the Thames River. Josie drove there with all the equipment and the rest of the crew followed by bus and train, on our bus ride we made a friend, it was a kitten in a crossbody bag, so tiny!

Faisal dipped his feet in the water and stood in power, he was so serene. It was really special to be there...

Safety first! everyone had their wellies on but I missed the memo and I was terrified of the cold water (very dramatic, I know!). The sound of the sound of the waves and Faisal’s calm were key to keep us all grounded!

The next shooting day I had to be in front of the camera and it was an exercise of letting go and accepting being exposed as I connected with the memory of my grandmother.

I missed the third day but I felt right there with all the photos shared on the WhatsApp group, Kwizera's shots were breath taking! Thanks Daniel for that timelapse!

Second shot on day 3 was Shadia, Billie created a gorgeous henna art on her hands, I've never seen this style before and I could see Shadia's personality shine through the art. Her costume!!!! It was so cool, Tia did an incredible job at capturing everyone's essence in clothes that tied to our stories and culture, I was genuinely in awe of how invested everyone was in this project.

Being part of this, makes me see how important it is to connect with each other through art, laughter and small things we have in common, rather than what makes us different.

I can’t wait for you to see what we’ve created. Come to the launch event on 20th of June and meet the creators, listen to our stories and see the incredible photos captured by Josie.