Exhibition: why religion matters to young Polish migrants

Waiting for happiness

A photography exhibition focusing on the experience of young Polish Catholic migrants in the UK is being held from 25 - 26 January 2011, at the Chapel Strand Campus, King's College London. The photographs were taken by fourteen young people from Poland exploring what is sacred to them. The pictures were first exhibited at Plymouth Roman Catholic Cathedral in November.

Dr Pete Ward, Senior Lecturer in Youth Ministry and Theological Education, Department of Education and Professional Studies, is the main organiser of the project: (Migration and Visual Culture: A Theological Exploration of identity, Catholic Imagery and Popular Culture among Polish Young People) which received an AHRC Religion and Society Small Grant.

Research Assistant Dr Sarah Dunlop said: "These photographs help to show a unique view of life in Plymouth from a Polish person's perspective. They reveal how family and religion are often central to a Polish person's identity."

The image pictured is called 'Waiting for happiness'. and the quote from the interviewee explains what this picture meant to them. 'This photo is meaningful to me because it is a metaphor for my life: Nothing is clear or certain, I am far away from where I should be to have a clear view of my life, for what I want to do, where I am. It's very messy. I was quite lonely. You can achieve much more when you have someone with you.'

Wiktoria Niewiadomska, one of the other participants, said: "Taking part in the project has been a great experience. I feel as though I have been introduced to myself."

The photographs are part of a project exploring the experience of migration to the UK. The project is a partnership between the Centre for the Study of Theology, Religion and Culture at King's College London and Christ the King, the Catholic Student Chaplaincy in Plymouth.

For more information on Kings College see: www.kcl.ac.uk/

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