Essential information
| Type |
Workshops
|
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Date and times | Saturday 7 November 2026 | 1-5pm |
Come to our afternoon of craft and writing workshops to explore how the law shapes refugee boat journeys.
This free workshop at the Queen's House gives you the opportunity to respond creatively to the contemporary art on display with reference to refugee journeys.
What to expect
How does the law shape the journeys people take across borders?
Through creative writing and hands-on craft activities, this afternoon workshop invites you to explore the experiences, decisions and uncertainties involved in refugee boat journeys. You can craft a boat, write poetry and learn more about SOS MEDITERRANEE through their interactive games and immersive VR headsets.
Event Programme
SOS MEDITERRANEE Stand
1pm-4.45pm | Great Hall, Queen's House | Drop-in | Suitable for all ages
Learn more about the search and rescue operations of SOS MEDITERRANEE through their interactive VR headsets and gameboard activites
Boat-making workshop
1-4.45pm | Undercroft, Queen's House | Drop-in | Suitable for all ages
Make a boat from simple crafting materials and launch it on a shared sea installation.
Crafting the law
1-4.45pm | Orangery, Queen's House | Drop-in | Suitable for all ages
Create fridge–magnet poems about migration using the text of important legal treaties
Dangerous Crossings Flash Fiction Workshop
2-3.30pm | Van de Velde Studio, Queen's House | Suitable for adults and children over 15
Learn to write flash fiction, inspired by the Crossings display. If you wish, you can contribute your writing to a chapbook that will be published after the event.
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SOS MEDITERRANEE
SOS MEDITERRANEE is an international maritime and humanitarian organisation dedicated to saving lives in the Central Mediterranean, one of the world’s deadliest migration routes. Founded in 2015, it has operated continuous search-and-rescue missions since 2016, assisting more than 43,500 people in distress at sea aboard the Aquarius and Ocean Viking.
Through its three pillars of action — rescue, protect and bear witness — SOS MEDITERRANEE responds to people in distress while documenting the realities of journeys that often remain unseen. Funded predominantly by private donations, it is supported by supporters across Europe, including in the UK where it has had a presence since 2025.
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This event is part of Being Human Festival, the UK’s national festival of the humanities, taking place 5–14 November 2026. Being Human is led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. For further information please see beinghumanfestival.org.
The day's activities are supported by:
- The Power, Justice & Imagination network
- Mass Observation Archive
- The Literary Consultancy
- The Refugee Law Initiative
