Simon Barber
Tears behind Smiles
2019 saw a lot of media coverage of refugees and asylum seekers, predominantly about their journey and experiences travelling to the destination. But there was little documentation of their experiences after they arrive in their new country and it is this that this project concentrated on.
Based on volunteering with SRS - Slough Refugee Support - a charity in Slough, I met with refugees and asylum seekers to understand and reflect their experiences and some of the issues they face since arriving in the UK.
The more I worked with people at SRS the more I realised how little I knew and the more I impressed I became by how people were prepared to share their experiences. The material here is based on my impressions gained while working over the last 18 months with people who have come to the UK; it is not meant to be an exhaustive and/or a definitive account, but perhaps to contribute to the debate.
The quotes aren’t necessarily attributable to people in the photos but they are real and given in response to discussions I have had with Asylum seekers and Refugees while volunteering at SRS.
