Stories to connect
'Stories bring us together, untold stories keep us apart.'
Contemporary militia piece - new faces and stories of North Holland. From left to right: Karin, Mirna, Sas, Tomoko, Susanne, Krystyna, Taghrid, Corrina, Mitra (photo: Coco Olakunle)
A record number of people worldwide are on the run as a result of war, conflict and persecution. More than 110 million people are currently forcibly displaced. In many large Western European cities, the majority of residents have a migration background.
At the same time, more and more people live in a social bubble. Research shows that segregation in Europe continues to grow. There is currently a political climate in Europe in which different 'groups' in the same country do not come together, but rather oppose each other.
This is disturbing and does not lead to peaceful coexistence. For a truly inclusive society you not only need 'bonding' (contact with people who look like you) but also 'bridging' (contact with people who belong to a different group than you belong to).
But where in the city are there places where you can meet people from other communities or bubbles?
The local library can be such a place. The Stories to connect project takes place here.
During this project we meet weekly for three months with a group of women, on average 50% of whom have local roots and 50% roots elsewhere. In addition to autobiographical writing assignments, we work with photos, collages, textiles and audio. Together we prepare an installation, podcast or exhibition that gives voice and image to the experiences and stories of the participants. We hope to inspire fellow citizens to open up to so-called 'others'. With the participating women we form an ever-growing community.
Stories to connect in the Frans Hals Museum
From apri 4th until august 17 2025, our Stories to connect project will be part of the exhibition Faces of North Holland in the Frans Hals Museum. In collaboration with fashion designer Lisa Konno , photographer Coco Olakunle and writing teacher Susanne Gijsbers - the women wrote a fairy tale about a life-changing moment. They embroidered elements from this fairy tale on their own collar. Wearing these collars they created a contemporary militia piece. The aim of the exhibition is to get faces and stories of 'now' in established museums. Aimed at a more representative image of 'the Dutchman' than the white man with status as traditionally depicted on militia pieces.
Over ons
Hidden Stories is an international collaboration between the Netherlands and Spain. Mirna Ligthart, Susanne Gijsbers, Dawlat Derbas, Mitra Gilak and Petra Vlasman have been carrying out this project since 2022 and the group of 'facilitators' is growing, partly because we provide training (offline and online) in guiding Hidden Stories groups.
The projects of Ligthart, Gijsbers, Derbas and Vlasman have the same objective. However, they all work from their own discipline, background and expertise.