Passports, life-vest*, combination lock, paint, ink, varnish, glue, duct tape

W: 42cm; L: 50cm; D: 5cm 

*Life-vests only reduce the risk of drowning they do not guarantee rescue

Description:

In the discussion of so-called green passports, or vaccination certificates, by governments around the world, I saw a distorted reflection of the excesses of the current geopolitical system and its symptoms, for example, the perilous journeys from North Africa in search of a “golden ticket” across the Mediterranean. While the question of whether such green passports are ethical has divided opinion in rich countries, my view is that the entire conversation must be framed by the uncertainty of rescue (even with a life-vest).

It occurred to me that the word ‘passport’ is made up of the words ‘pass’ and ‘port’, the actions behind the name for the prized papers needed to migrate. Today however, migration by sea is reserved for those without the “right” passport - the refugees who are desperate enough to attempt to pass around the ports illegally, too often with fatal consequences. 

The passports are US and Canadian painted in the same shade of green as the special passports issued only to the members of the royal family of Kuwait (where I grew up as the descendent of Palestinian refugees), such color referencing the elitism of a dual-tier society. The thickness of the paint symbolizes the suffocation of the system that locks people out. The contrast between the paint of the skins and the insides is a comment more generally on judging a book by its cover, and the nationalism that can be a cause, or a consequence, of racism. The combination lock points to the key of the piece, which is that the life-vest is left hanging.

I envision this work exhibited with a copy of the picture book by photojournalist Ricardo Garcia Villanova “The Libyan Crossroads: Deadly Passage to Europe 2011-2020” placed nearby.  Any sale proceeds will benefit Open Arms, a Spanish NGO operating sea and rescue missions for refugees in the Mediterranean.