HEART AND MEMORY

Bristol, 1st August 2024

In a Home Office contingency hotel for people seeking asylum in the UK and used to house men, women and children, we have set up psychosocial spaces for residents to come together to create individual and collective images and installations that change and evolve across the weeks. We continue to meet people who carry their stories with them, letting us know details, memories and hopes for the future.

Our last session was two days before the far-right gathered in Castle Park outnumbered by counter-protestors four to one. The apparent sense of safety in the city’s park spaces was referenced in a word play at the table.

A teenager who has been to our sessions before and who appears quietly self-assured told us ‘I want to be a medic - I want to look after hearts and work in cardiology.’ In synchronicity, a child picked up a little resin heart and elephant and played with it on the over head projector on top of a drawing of hearts and flowers made by his sibling, sparking a story about where memory is held.

A member of the team recalled hearing about a man who, unbeknownst to him, had received heart transplant from a marathon runner, and as months of recovery went by he found himself motivated to exercise and soon found himself training to run long distance. He was united with the donor’s immediate family who were delighted to share that their son was a marathon runner. The family developed a deep connection with the man who housed their son’s heart.

Words by Sarah Robinson & Amy.