Meeting Point & Bijan Amini-Alavijeh

Through our community engagement programme we worked closely with refugees and migrants across Leeds and Wakefield, creating opportunities for all four galleries to welcome new and diverse audiences.

Artist Bijan Amini-Alavijeh worked with Meeting Point, a charity which provides practical and emotional support for refugees and asylum seekers in Armley, Leeds, to create a collaborative sculpture which explores architecture and decorative form, combining influences from many different cultures.

A Member of Meeting Point working with artist Bijan Amini-Alavijeh on a collaborative sculpture as part of Yorkshire Sculpture International 2019. Photography Nick Singleton

A Member of Meeting Point working with artist Bijan Amini-Alavijeh on a collaborative sculpture as part of Yorkshire Sculpture International 2019. Photography Nick Singleton

Artist Bijan Amini-Alavijeh unveilinig collaborative sculpture Confluence, made with Meeting Point as part of Yorkshire Sculpture International 2019. Photography Nick Singleton

Artist Bijan Amini-Alavijeh and members of Meeting Point unveiling collaborative sculpture Confluence, as part of Yorkshire Sculpture International 2019. Photography Nick Singleton

Collaborative sculpture Confluence made by artist Bijan Amini-Alavijeh and members of Meeting Point,, as part of Yorkshire Sculpture International 2019. Photography Nick Singleton

Workshops hosted at Meeting Point’s weekly drop-in sessions allowed participants to get hands on, making clay slabs and carving patterns and images into them. These designs drew inspiration from those found in architecture from across the globe, including those found in Christ Church where Meeting Point are based. Bijan Amini-Alavijeh also worked with Meeting Point’s women’s group to make cast plaster forms using clay slab moulds.

The resulting tiles and decorative forms have been assembled to create the final sculpture, reminiscent of a classical plinth, called Confluence. The piece’s title highlights the collaborative nature of the artwork, the multicultural influences it combines, and the ethos of Meeting Point. The word means ‘a coming or flowing together, meeting, or gathering at one point’.