Manus recording project collective is a collection of audio clips of refugees talking about their daily lives. Recorded on Manus island, where Australian refugees are held in offshore detention camps, This work is meant to highlight the militarisation and politicisation of the Australian border to the rest of the world.

When reading and hearing news about refugees I think it’s easy to forget real lives are at stake. Refugees are often dehumanised by the media, being only identified by the term ‘refugee’ and their numbers. A picture is painted of them as being figures in the shadows with no identity and no face because the general population is oblivious to the hardships they face. I find listening to the Manus Recording Project adds faces to the men and women jailed behind the term ‘refugee’ sonically as they go about their daily lives. Furthermore shedding light on the vilification of refugees by the media.