I Am Foreign is a series of mobile exhibitions that enables foreigners living in London to form connections with the city and with local people.

 

London is a cosmopolitan city in the truest sense of the word: it is a myriad of different ethnicities, religions, nationalities, languages, and cultural communities. These differences can easily be misinterpreted, leading to stereotyping and unconscious segregation. 

 

Young Chinese people living in London have been chosen as a pilot group for the project’s first exhibition. 99 perceptions were collected from the target demographic and separated into nine categories, such as dressing, behaviour and food. Each person surveyed gave his or her unique perspective on life in London as a foreigner. The exhibition was initially installed in the foyer of Central Saint Martins in March 2014, using a voting system as a tool for public engagement. It will further be displayed at Camberwell College of Art for the Processional Language Centre students at the beginning of the next term.

 

This project aims to make the cultural misconceptions that are prevalent in society the focus of debate and intellectual reasoning, encouraging both local Londoners and foreigners towards mutual respect and understanding.