Aesthetics of displacement : the material culture of the current migration crisis in the Mediterranean

Abstract

Albeit tackled by a relatively small number of local artists, migration along with its material culture is yet to gain the suitable momentum that appropriately reflects the current lived situations, in visual representation. This project aims at creating a social dialogue regarding the current migration crisis, through the exclusive use of its material culture. This alternative dialogue does not over-expose the bodies of immigrants but rather expresses their experiences through objects. Situated at the centre of the Mediterranean basin, Malta has inevitably become a main protagonist in the recent migration crisis. The need to raise awareness and instigate discussion on this issue is constantly present. For this reason, human displacement is an extremely relevant and significant subject to be studied. The inspiration for this project mainly came from a desire to create an alternative discussion from that projected on popular media which overuses and sensationalizes the bodies of immigrants. This sentiment, coupled up with the archaeological approach of examining cultures through their material culture served as key guidelines for this project. This project is substantiated by academic research and references to artworks that deal with this issue of immigration and in particular its material culture. However, the aim of this project is not to merely induce awareness about the current migration crisis through the representation of its material culture, but it is also to evoke a feeling of compassion and understanding in the viewer towards the reality lived by immigrants.