Nomad/ Bridge + Tunnel launch i-Kooch: a community media project to develop a unique website of stories from the Middle East to Tyneside

i-Kooch is a new interactive website that will portray the fascinating stories of refugee and asylum seekers of Middle Eastern descent, living in Tyneside today. Over the next six months, the i-Kooch group members will develop the multi-layered creative and technical aspects of the website. i-Kooch will be the first of its kind to present contemporary narratives through the experimentation of new media online. It aims to push the boundaries of conventional and familiar formats of storytelling, through combining the power of film, photography, sound, graphics and animation.

i-kooch sets out to produce a distinctive and relevant picture of cultural diversity in the North East to new audiences regionally, nationally and internationally. This new website will serve as a tool to promote discussion about journeys, empower voices from minority ethnic communities and counteract the existing negative portrayals of immigration in British society.

Kooch, which means nomad or migratory in Farsi was launched in 2002 and worked to bring the stories of migrants to screen. This year Arts Council England, Northern Film & Media, Newcastle City Council, Your Homes Newcastle, Awards for All, Community Foundation and the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, support the project.

i-kooch is the brainchild of award-winning artist/ filmmaker Tina Gharavi.

“Working with Kooch for the past few years has taught me how much there is to learn from human experiences in our own backyard. The new members of our community have something to teach us about their stories and histories but also about ‘who we are’ too.”

One of the most beautiful stories I have read is called 'Mr Potter' by the author Jamaica Kincaid.
This is a novel about a woman returning to her home island of Antigua after her father, Mr Potter has died. The main character barely knew her father, and she barley knew her home country.

Kincaid presents the character's state of mind and emotional turmoil by repeating details, thoughts and descriptions of the landscape. Many things in life are not tangible.

'The mind's eye ... is the geography of the almost'

I am fascinated by the differences and similarities of our stories - the journeys made by the individual and the journeys made by our ancestors.

Hi and welcome to my Live Journal.

I am the Project Coordinator for i-Kooch - a new interactive narrative website, soon to go live online. Will keep you posted!