Exhibitions that weave personal stories into immigration debate.

Local Foreigners offers tailored exhibitions to museums and festivals, helping bring communities closer together through a deeper understanding of migrant experiences. The portraits and stories of migration help the migrant community feel seen and appreciated by integrating their experiences into the local area's history and culture.

Past Events

  • Visitors read the stories behind the portraits and objects of the "Local Foreigners" exhibition in a stylish wooden-panelled room of the Museum of Edinburgh.

    Museum of Edinburgh Exhibition

    This exhibition features photographs of 12 people who have moved to Edinburgh from other countries and made the city their home. Each person has chosen to display an object that reminds them of home, from a moka pot to a 60-year old sari. The visitors left positive messages, with migrant viewers saying that they feel represented and seen.

  • The museum case displays objects that the interviewees brought from their home countries, showcasing videos about them alongside the items.

    Museum of Migration Collaboration

    This collaboration created five video interviews for the Keepsakes exhibition at the Migration Museum. Each video explores a personal item that people brought with them on their journeys to Britain, and which helps keep memories of migration and identity alive.

  • East Norfolk SF College Talks

    These talks, designed for photography and media students, explored how negative representation changes public opinion on migration. The talks highlighted the need for fair representation through numbers, examples, and personal stories from the project, suggesting a more ethical approach to news photography.

  • Time&Tide Museum Commission

    Time & Tide is a large museum focused on Great Yarmouth's history and modern life. To highlight the importance of migration to the local community, the museum commissioned interviews with eight people who moved to the town from various countries. This project culminated in an exhibition featuring their portraits and stories.

  • Portraits from the Local Foreigners exhibition served as a thematic backdrop for actors during the "Becoming British" performance

    Migration Matters Festival

    Ten panels featuring diverse migrant portraits and stories adorned the Soft Ground throughout the Migration Matters Festival in Sheffield. The exhibition provided a compelling backdrop for various events at the venue, including a henna workshop, community karaoke, and Lora Krasteva's six-hour performance "Becoming British."

  • The graph shows how different the public understanding of immigration is from the real arrival statistics. Most respondents underestimate the number of foreign students and significantly overestimate the number of asylum seekers.

    Perceptions of Migration Symposium

    The symposium explored how migration is represented in the media and in museums, and how this influences people’s perceptions of migration. Speakers included Maryna Sulym, Dr Sarah Kyambi of Migration Policy Scotland, and Emily Miller of the Migration Museum. The event was chaired by writer and journalist, Susan Mansfield.