For many refugees in Serbia, their stay, which they expected to be temporary, has extended indefinitely, while those refugees who have made it to Germany are confronted with the situation in the refugee centers. The German-Serbian project group “Büro-Mobil” wants to take their life situations seriously and engage with the refugees. Together with the artists’ collective Karkatag, it builds a mobile office, which will subsequently serve as a stage for stories and testimonies by residents, refugees and local NGOs. The result will be a social kitchen featuring a printer, scanner, and solar-powered mobile charging station, but above all a contact and communication medium facilitating the dialogue with refugees and connecting them with local stakeholders. In August 2017, the “Büro-Mobil” will make its first, two-week stop in Belgrade and then move on to Kassel in late August. A project blog will document the project’s development for the public. The project will conclude with an exhibition.

The project was selected as a winner of the kultur-im-dialog.eu+ competition, since it takes the experiences and dreams of people across national borders that remain closed to the people themselves. It also makes an important contribution by drawing attention to the ongoing plight of refugees.