Reflections from a visitor to The Community Table in Calais, March 2023
“In my last week in Calais, I had the opportunity to share another day with The Community Table from @artrefuge_.
On those days, I traded the hustle and bustle of a table that prepares meals for the serenity of a table that develops the concept of therapy through art.
The community tables allow, through artistic expression, to open an imaginary window that directly explores the reality of a search for answers and solutions, during these sessions art is used as an exploration and search tool.
The table becomes a space that provides the security to automatically maintain a dialogue. There is a celebration of cultures and the diversity of languages, there is a sharing of stories and sometimes there is a memory of home.
There’s a certain beauty when vulnerability collides with true facts through creative freedom.
It was with them that I’ve learned to recognize once again the potential of art, as well as the inexistence of limits in the help that can be provide to those seeking asylum.
Thank you for sharing this with me and for inviting me to sit around in such a unique table, I will preserve this memory as one of the most tender moments of my time in Calais.”
With thanks to Mariana Arda for joining us so thoughtfully!
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