Migration can transform art, culture: Birmingham Deputy VC

Migration from Asia and the Middle East to Western Europe could provide the kind of vibrant boost to arts and culture as movement from India and Pakistan did to the taste of the UK food, according to a leading artist and academic.
Professor Bashir Makhoul, practising artist and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Birmingham City University (UK), believes the movement of refugees from countries such as Afghanistan and Syria to Europe could provide a spark of creativity, pushing boundaries and leading people to explore art and culture in new ways.
Makhoul is the co-editor of a new book, 'Conflict and Compassion', which highlights how economic arguments overlook the cultural benefits of closer links between Western Europe and conflicted countries - which the book describes asa "Third Space".

"Migration, both under the tragic circumstances we are seeing right now and in less challenging situations, has the capacity to diversify a region for the better because artists' responses to adversity are often those which leave the strongest message," Makhoul said.
"While we automatically - and understandably - think of the destruction that comes as a result of conflict, it can also be the source of a need to express, create and innovate," he said.
"The art and culture which is born out of difficult and challenging situations such as forced migration - actually, expulsion - not only begins to push boundaries but also serve as historical documents which encapsulate and portray an era forever," Makhoul said.

The book 'Conflict and Compassion'features a series of contemporary artworks from across Asia and analysis of the influence of conflict on artists' work.
Curry, a name used to refer to food originating in the Indian subcontinent and tailored to suit British palates, is often referred to as the UK's favourite food. An estimated 12,000 curry houses with roots in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh contribute over 4 billion pounds to the UK economy and generate 70,000 jobs.