Migration,Relocation

Li Yuxuan

liyuxuan040212@outlook.com

"This is a process that involves both human migration and mould relocation."

This photographic series explores the emotional states and evolving identities of new immigrants in London. Through a series of interviews, eight participants from diverse backgrounds were invited to touch petri dishes to their bodies and to objects or places in the city that evoke a sense of belonging. The mould that grew within these dishes becomes a visual metaphor for cultural integration, emotional entanglement, and personal transformation. Each colony spreads, intertwines, and dissolves borders between “outsider” and “native,” reflecting the gradual rooting process within an unfamiliar environment. The visual compositions draw inspiration from the map contours of London’s immigrant neighbourhoods, echoing the city’s layered geography of displacement, connection, and memory. By using the microscopic world of mould to represent intimate urban experiences, the project blurs the boundaries between individual narratives and collective belonging, mapping a silent, organic record of migration and becoming.