Absence-Presence: Kos

An exhibition that coincides with the BBC News' World on the the Move' day. This show narrates the story of Kos refugees and the work of Kos-Solidarity through spectral artefacts and images. The Summer of 2015 witnessed the man migration of people seeking refuge, safety and security in Europe. Over 1 million people, including 250,00 children made the perilous sea crossing to the Greek islands of Lesvos, Chios, Leros, Samos and Kos. At its peak, the island of Kos was receiving 200-500 new arrivals each day. With no official reception facilities in place at the time, Kos-Solidarity, with the support of donators, volunteers and groups such as Flying-Help, HulpKaravaan Naar Greenland, Jetzt and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Ireland, provided much needed frontline aid, food and clothing. In February 2016, Kos-Solidarity was nominated along with 16 other Greek volunteer groups for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of their humanitarian work. Since October 2016, Dr David Swann has been collaborating with Kos-Solidarity. A planned trip to advance a project unexpectedly coincided with the date that the EU/Turkey agreement came into force. This game-changing event, that turned refugee reception into rejection was the catalyst for Absence-Presence: Kos. Keywords: Refugee, Migrant, Kos-Solidarity, Artefacts