An interactive ceramic installation by Firuze Avci titled "A Reflection on Migration and Belonging” was on display at Contemporary Calgary in August 2023 as part of the Reimagining Inclusion Exhibition. Her piece, which features 100 ceramic birds and a nest, is a tangible, tactile representation of the complexity of migration.The birds symbolize female migrants who seek freedom and basic human rights through migration, and the installation highlights the challenges and opportunities that come with leaving one’s homeland.

 

Viewers were invited to touch and rearrange the birds as they moved through the installation. The intent was to create a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant experience for viewers, to encourage empathy and understanding, and promote a sense of connection. The audience was encouraged to reflect on their own stories and freely move the birds to create their own narratives within the artwork.

​

This piece marks Firuze’s first experience creating participatory art, and she found the experience profoundly moving. Observing how people moved and positioned the objects, and witnessing their delight while doing so, she concluded that it was the participants themselves who transformed and completed this artwork.