Hundreds of tiny 'homes' in Hunter to celebrate unity and finding freedom

Led by Dr Alice Neikirk of the University's Newcastle Migration Research Network, the Unity project aims to honour the rich tapestry of the Hunter region and its shared communities.

The diversity of the tiny dwellings - some tents or caravans, temples, mosques or churches - are a reminder that all kinds of structures can represent 'home'.

The message behind the project is that unity is a process, "a morphing aspiration built on our shared humanity, our shared hopes, and even our shared fears".

Students and general members of the community were the focus of the workshop held at Newcastle City Library on Thursday (June 20) during Refugee Week but by project's end there will have been about 30 workshops, Dr Neikirk said.

"We have run them with schools, like the Hunter School of Performing Arts, the Newcastle Refugee Hub, the Hunter School of the Performing Arts, and University of Newcastle Open Foundations students, as well as other organisations and services that help people to settle here in the Hunter Valley," Dr Neikirk said.

"It's a whole of community event, not just for people from particular migration backgrounds but a celebration of everyone. Lots of people have shared migration stories and forced migration stories across this process."

Some workshop participants have built future-focused buildings, like the architecturally designed home they hoped for when they finished their degree or Australia's Parliament House representing the final step on their migration journey - citizenship.

For others, home was not necessarily a house, but a tent or a caravan or a humpie, which site alongside mosques from Mecca and churches from Vietnam.

There is also whimsy and playfulness, Dr Neikirk said, with Sponge Bob and Disney movies inspiring several pieces.

"I think it's about celebrating the journeys that people make and emphasising that their migration pathway might be different to others but they have the same hopes and dreams and values as everyone.

"We should celebrate the strength and resilience and the welcome that the community does provide here in Newcastle, it is a lovely and welcoming place for people from all types of backgrounds. We are all building a community together."

Refugee Week is Australia's peak annual activity coordinated by the Refugee Council of Australia to promote greater awareness of the issues refugees face and their contributions to Australian society.

This year's theme is Finding Freedom.

So far, tiny home building workshops have been held in collaboration with Newcastle Refugee Hub, Hunter Community Languages, Hunter School of the Performing Arts, and University of Newcastle Open Foundations students.

The project will culminate in a public exhibition of the ceramic 'village' at Watt Space Gallery as part of New Annual Festival from 27 September - 8 October.