I’m not Alone

Oloop Group in collaboration with MGLC and co-creation with migrant women.

The experience of isolation during the corona crisis has confirmed that to maintain psychological well-being, people need a sense of connectedness, belonging to a community, and meaningful creative activities that foster inner peace, focus and groundedness, a sense of control and mental resilience while opening a space for reflection – on the self, the world and others. Immigrants know well the feelings of isolation and loneliness. Textile making in the project serves as a tool for connecting, sharing, belonging and communicating, as well as a tool for mobilising, motivating and encouraging proactive action by the participants.

The symbolic content that characterises the project is the self-portrait. By making their own portraits, participants tell a story about themselves. The colours used for the self-portrait symbolise important events that have marked the individual and helped her grow and develop. The creation of a self-portrait thus becomes an intimate, personal event, but because it takes place in a group, it is also a shared artistic act; we move from a sense of loneliness and separateness to a sense of connectedness and belonging, and we realise that “we’re not alone”.

The I’m not Alone project is part of the Active Relationships II project led by the Odnos Association with partner Oloop. It has been financially supported by the European Social Fund and the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.

At the MGLC, the project includes tours, workshops, participatory events, a short film and a final exhibition event. The short film I’m Not Alone brings us the moving and inspiring story of Iranian artist Azadeh Hashemzadeh. The film is the work of the production company TENT Film with Ciril Jazbec as director, Sašo Štih as of photography and Angelo Raaijmakers as editor. The exhibition was financially supported by the European Social Fund, the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, and the JSKD.

Project team

Lili Šturm, Dušan Dovč, Oloop