Developing picture communication for interactional situations at the beginning of the asylum process

The paper reports the initial findings of the first phase of the research and development project PICCORE – Picture Communication in Reception Centres. The goal was to map the use of pictures and other visual modes of communication at reception centres in Finland using an ethnographic, multimodal research approach. The ethnographic data was collected at four reception centres in Finland. A multimodal viewpoint draws attention to how action and meanings are mediated through pictures. The initial findings mark established practices for enabling and coordinating mutual attention, supporting the use of visual and embodied resources in interactions and – as a consequence – supporting mutual understanding.