The Calais Jungle & The Blue House: Southbank Centre, London

The refugee settlement in Calais known as the Jungle is a small town. Like all towns it captures the needs, culture and hopes of its residents. It has a high street, districts, shops, churches, mosques, schools, a radio station, a theatre, an art school, a library, a hammam, youth centres and much more.

Whilst the jungle is the result of great suffering it is also a place of optimism and resilience where the humanity of its residents and those who support them is built into its organisation and fabric. At its best the Jungle reminds us how good cities are formed and grow and at its worst how easy it is to destroy them.

This exhibition tries to capture that humanity and provides the context for the Blue House built by the artist Alpha Diagne also here as part of the Festival of Love. The Blue House became a symbol of the Jungle and the centre of gravity for art and culture. The Blue House was rescued just before the brutal demolition of the southern part of the Jungle in February 2016

Curated by Professor Robert Mull supported by Publica, The Worldwide Tribe, Grainne Hassett Cindy Palmano, Mark Pearce and the AF Volunteers.