Fidan 5

Seeing Scotland through a fresh pair of eyes

What is it like to move to Scotland from another, very different, country?

Now’s your chance to take a look at where you live through the eyes of some new arrivals in Fife.

From 19 January to 14 April ONFife Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries is showcasing an exhibition of photographs taken by six recently arrived young migrants. The group hail from Syria, Turkey, Vietnam and Pakistan and the images offer a fascinating insight into life in Fife as experienced by those settling into a new, and unfamiliar, place.

The exhibition – Encountering Fife – is the result of a ground-breaking collaborative project between the Museum of the University of St Andrews (MUSA) and Fife Council’s Department of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).

The young migrants also worked closely with a group of pupils at Madras College, St Andrews.

The main aim of the project is to help the migrants develop their language skills but also to give them a forum from which to share their experiences with young people from Fife, helping to promote respect and understanding across diverse cultures.

From the natural world to domestic appliances, the images taken by the young migrants help us to view familiar surroundings and objects in a new light and consider important questions about things that we often take for granted.

Matt Sheard, Learning and Access Curator at MUSA said: ‘At times it’s been quite eye-opening for the Madras pupils. One of the photographs – taken by a young Syrian migrant – shows a sink with both taps running.

‘She chose this image to demonstrate how grateful she is to have access to clean, running water. In Syria water is scarce and often dirty.’

Lesley Lettice, curator with ONFife Cultural Trust said: ‘We were delighted to be approached by MUSA to be a host venue for this very worthwhile project.’

Admission to the exhibition is free. For details of opening times click HERE.

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