Anna-Louise Milne is an urban studies scholar and writer at the University of London Institute in Paris, where she works with young refugees as part of the Paris Centre for Migrant Writing and Expression. Her work Missing Persons: Lost and Found in Paris explores how migrants and refugees adapt place names to reflect their specific usages of the city, and open up possibilities for exchange. What resources do we find in the embedded histories of street names, and how do these histories shift when the streets in question become temporary camp environments and sites of daily survival for thousands of people seeking a viable future in Europe?
In conversation with Anna-Louise Milne, you are invited to explore the resonances you find in some of the street and city names explored by the refugees in Paris and to think about the names that act as landmarks for you in your environment, adding them to this growing collective map.
This event is programmed by Queen Mary University London, a Tate Exchange Associate.
About Queen Mary University London
QMUL is a global university which is committed, through its recruitment, teaching, and public engagement activities, to enhancing the lives of the people of east London and beyond. Our collaborative projects with community organisations focus on building resilience, inviting reflection on shared challenges, and encouraging community cohesion in one of the most diverse areas of the UK. QMUL has a long history of working with arts and culture to benefit local communities and address complex global challenges. The People’s Palace, opened by Queen Victoria in 1887, was originally a community venue where people of the East End could enjoy dance classes, organ recitals, donkey shows and art exhibitions, as well as gain skills in what are now known as the ‘creative industries’ – tailor’s cutting, woodwork, photography, and needlework. Today, QMUL continues to harness the radical power of art to change the world. Our arts and cultural activities embody QMUL’s values of diversity, inclusion, and community engagement.