Silence Heard Loud

Anna Konik |  PL 2022 | 71 min

I used to think that I could make a home for me here in Britain, but then, dealing with the hostile environment policies, the xenophobia, I just realized that I don’t see the UK being my home in any nearest future. Wherever I go, they like, ‘This is not your home, you’re not our colour, you’re not our nationality, you’re not our culture.’

In Silence Heard Loud, seven people in Britain talk about their reasons for fleeing, their experiences with racism, their desires and hopes, but also their struggles with feelings of belonging and home. Living in exile, restless, everyday objects and practices, inconspicuous to others, become symbols of wearable home and emotional connection – be it a bracelet that makes one think of one’s mother, or a branchy tree in whose foliage a protagonist nestles in thought of his grandmother. An artful testimony to the strength of those who, despite the traumas of the past, fight for their future, freedom and dignity in the context of a hostile migration regime.

Director’s statement

„I met my protagonists in London when I was invited to lead an art workshop at Birkbeck, University of London, in 2018. Overwhelmed by their stories, feelings, experiences and daily struggles, I decided to give a voice to the voiceless and visibility to the invisible. “ (Anna Konik)

Anna Konik

*1974, Poland. Ph.D. at the Warsaw Academy of Art. Lives and works in Warsaw. Combines various media in her art (video, art film, photography, graphics, sculpture).