‘As a migrant, I don’t really have roots, I have tendrils, which stretch to different places in the world where there are people I love’ – Argentinian project artist, Cyprus, 2022

The SIM Project hosts their upcoming workshops in the MPF gallery and RPS education space.

The SIM Project gives tangible meaning to people’s virtual networks and explores how the images we create and exchange through our smartphones map our place in the world and provide a portable sense of belonging.

In a process that combines analogue and digital photography with jewellery making and origami, participants create unique SIM-scale artefacts to keep, wear and to be added to the mobile collection. People who have experience of displacement and those working to support refugees and asylum seekers in the South West of England are invited to the workshops at Martin Parr Foundation.

The personal artefacts created will be exhibited in Houston, Texas in 2024 alongside SIM artefacts made by over 170 participants from countries including Afghanistan, Syria, Turkey, Venezuela, Hong Kong, Senegal and Libya at previous workshops held in 7 countries across Europe.

The project is led by artist and anthropologist Liz Hingley with the support of Jeweller Sofie Boons, artist Janahan Sivanathan and a collaboration with Frank Menger of the Centre for Print Research, UWE, Bristol. These workshops are produced with Counterpoints Arts, sponsored by 4JET and funded by University of West England and Arts Council England.