A Place Along the Way: Stories from the Island of Samos

Samos is a beautiful Greek island in the Aegean that, at its closest point, is situated less than 2 kilometres from the coastline of Türkiye. It is described by many as a ‘magical place’, a place of nature, of calm, of beautiful blue seas and rugged mountains, of greenery and beaches, a place of spirituality that invokes a feeling of peace in people, many of whom feel compelled to stay. It is also a place of arrival and of refuge. Its location so close to Türkiye has meant that in recent years it has become known internationally for its role in the arrival of people seeking asylum in Greece and the broader European Union. 

This exhibition explores stories from the island through photographs collected between 2018 and 2024 and interviews with people whose lives have become a part of the story of the island. Whether they moved to Samos for love, for recovery, to claim refuge, to offer support to people on the move, to re-engage with their family roots or simply to visit this beautiful place, we explore how their lives have intersected, evolved, and intertwined over weeks, months, years and decades. 

Throughout the two days visitors will have the opportunity to see the photographs and listen to the stories from the island. On the Saturday between 10am and 3pm there will also be the opportunity to learn more about one of the solidarity movements that existed on the island between 2019 and 2021 and is now based in Athens, Project Armonia a social kitchen and culinary education project. As a part of this, visitors will also be able to share recipes that mean something to them and tell their own stories of community and solidarity. 

This audio-visual exhibition is organised by Gemma Bird, Andrew Foreman & Simone van den Akker. With thanks to all those who shared their time and stories with us. 

This audio-visual exhibition combines photography, interview dialogue, and music/soundscapes to illustrate the unique merging of experiences and perspectives of people and their relationship to the island of Samos. This project highlights the  experience of people on the move through the inclusion of  stories relating to their travel and the role of Samos in their journey, but also includes the perspectives of other demographics as well: Samos locals, foreign tourists, NGO workers, and INGO employees, all discussing their experiences and what the island means to them.  

In the time period covered by the project, the island has played host to two camps. The first was a Reception and Identification Centre neighbouring the town of Vathy with an original capacity of around 650 people, that at one point in 2019/2020 housed closer to 9,000 people. The second, and currently active, camp is a Closed Controlled Access Centre that opened in September 2021 and has been described by residents as ‘prison-like’. The exhibition centres around collections of photographs of these camps, and how they have changed over time, as well as pictures of community and solidarity spaces, and of the broader island on which these stories unfold. 

The aim of this exhibition is not to simplify the narrative or exceptionalise the experience of people passing through Samos. Rather it is to engage with the complexity of the many stories that have occurred there, the lives that have intersected, friendships that have developed and traces that have been left among the architecture and the environment. In some stories we hear how Samos is a magical place of healing, in others about the unexpected communities built through music, sharing skills and meals together, and in others still about the prison-like architecture in which people are forced to exist. We hear about communities that form between people from different backgrounds with vastly different experiences both prior to their arrival on the island as well as in the very act of travelling to this space in the borderzone. At no point do we hear a simple tale of a binary experience of ‘us’ and ‘them’ or of stories of ‘locals’, ‘refugees’ and ‘NGO workers’, rather we hear about the complexity of identity, the realities of life on a small island that has been a place of home for many people and a place along the way for many more. 

The event will be led by Dr Gemma Bird (Department of Politics at the University of Liverpool), and the project is a collaboration between Gemma Bird, Andrew Foreman & Simone van den Akker.  

We look forward to welcoming everyone for a walk through the many lives of Samos. 

Anyone with an interest in people.

The exhibition and associated activities will take place in the gallery space at the Victoria Gallery and Museum and is open at the following times: 

Friday 7th November  - 10am-5pm 

Saturday 8th November - 11am-3pm 

This is a two day event:

Friday 10am-5pm  

Saturday 11am-3pm 

No booking is necessary, please do feel free to pop in at any time during opening hours.