GIVING PLANTS

Exploring the intersection between art activism and social outreach on a refugee camp in Greece.

Saman and Sasan Okouei are Iranian-born artist brothers based in New York, who have built global recognition through mixed-media, site-specific works made under the pseudonym Icy & Sot.

In partnership with Dutch NGO Movement on the Ground, the duo sold original artwork to fund a project supporting residents of the Olive Grove and Moria refugee camps on the Greek island of Lesbos — building vegetable gardens alongside camp residents and distributing plants to bring life to otherwise stark, confined spaces.

Our role was to document this process: capturing daily life within the camps while exploring how art can serve as a vehicle for genuine, practical action.

THE CHALLENGE

Due to the extremely senstive nature of this project, there were many challenges presented. The primary focus was to ensure the protection and safety of those we were filming, many of which had fled wars and political turmoil. We had to make sure dignity was maintained throughout in how we were talking with and presenting the lives of those in the camps.

The nature of subjects like this is often extremely politicised, and navigating this topic involved constant coordination with the Movement on the Ground team.

RESULTS & IMPACT

• High-profile launch and distribution. The short film was widley recieved with mulptiple press publications featuring the video.

• Movement On The Ground - The video was featured on the Movement On The Ground website and was directly linked with a significant increase in traffic and engagement.

Campaign: Project Awareness Video

Brand: Movement on the Ground

Client: Saman & Sasan Oskouei

Deliverables:

• Short-Film

• Photography

• Location: Lesbos, Greece

Project Date: 2019