Asylum Sea(k)

Preface

Asylum Sea(k) is a reflection on the Mediterranean Sea, viewed as a space of connection, passage, and transformation. Like any sea, the Mediterranean symbolizes hope for those who embark on risky journeys and conflict for those who receive refugees. This project narrates the major migratory flows that have been crossing the Mediterranean since 2012. Traditionally, a white flag symbolizes an achievement, an agreed-upon goal. Here, however, it represents borders and the flows of people seeking asylum, as well as the countries who prepare to receive them, thus becoming a symbol of tension. At the heart of the project lies the sea and the human drama that it represents. It’s the ship, always full, object-oxymoron at the same time utopian and dystopian.

Concept

The flag, central to the work, is divided into regions representing both the nations from which most refugees depart and the major countries who receive them. Such flows are dynamic, constantly evolving, which makes the flag itself a transformative hybrid object. As migration patterns shift in intensity and composition, the flag embodies the contradictions of European countries that, while seemingly united, remain often unprepared to handle those challenges, divided between policies encouraging barricaded borders and others calling for collective support.

Design

The flag, specially designed for the exhibition, is made of felt and divided into triangular sections defined by boundary lines. Each section on the lower half of the flag represents a country of departure, along with the number of migrants who left. The upper half represents the countries where migrants have been arriving, also marked by their numbers. The lines on the flag serve two purposes. First, they trace the relationships between migratory flows, showing the paths taken by the largest numbers of migrants. Second, they allow the flag to transform, becoming a symbolic object-boat. When folded into shape, the only visible elements are the names of departure and arrival countries, polar opposites, yet essential parts of the same reality.