REFRAMING WITH CLOUDS

Calais, 9th April 2025

We arrived in Calais to a cloudy sky, a contrast to the last few days in which the skies on both sides of the Channel have been blue.

Today in the day centre @calais.exilessc we spread our cloud wallpaper down the middle of the table to bring a lighter surface and help reframe the space. it’s our old reused roll which has previously travelled back and forth with us between sites. The local longterm volunteers who joined us at The Community Table also helped to frame the space, bringing their own stories, memories and even songs. In parallel, a cooked meal was being prepared for everyone, in honour of a volunteer’s recent bereavement. The care and attention given in so many ways in this setting is always moving.

There was a gentle rhythm at the table to which we introduced clouds in various forms - knitted, brick and plasticine, watercolour clouds and a cloud typed out on the typewriter.

A cloud is a visible mass of particles suspended in the air or gas. Here in Calais people who are displaced are also suspended, with spaces in which they can be visible becoming ever more scarce. One man described his experiences of trying to get to a boat in the cold and dark, of being chased by police and followed by drones. He also spoke of finding magic in looking up at the clear night sky through the trees and finding shining stars.

Every time we come to Calais we try to reframe the space we are in to make it inviting enough for people. As always we meet people who have to reframe their lives, again and again. In this brutal environment in which people are constantly moved on, often having to hide away, a space just to sit and to be becomes crucial.

Words by Miriam Usiskin & Bobby Lloyd with Claudia Janke.