Artwork
Antarctic Village - No Borders, ephemeral installation in Antarctica
Lucy + Jorge Orta, 2007
- Ref: 5101
- Materials: 50 original dome dwellings, hand stitched with nation flags, fragments of clothing, webbing, silkscreen print
- Dimensions: Variable
- Catalogued: Antarctica, Electa Mondadori, 2008, ISBN 978-88-370-6337-5
- Exhibition history: 2007 Antarctica; 2007 Biennial al Fin del Mundo
- Courtesy: Collection of the artists
- Concept: From February to March 2007, travelling from Buenos Aires aboard the Hercules KC130 flight on an incredible journey to Antarctica, Lucy + Jorge Orta created the ephemeral artwork Antarctic Village - No Borders. The in-situ installation, which took place during the Austral summer, coincided with the last of the scientific expeditions before the winter months and the ice mass becomes too thick to traverse. Aided by the team of scientists stationed at the Marambio Antarctic Base situated on the Antarctic Peninsula (64°14’S 56°37’W), the artists searched for different locations for the temporary encampment comprised of 50 dome dwellings. Antarctic Village is a symbol of the plight of those struggling to transverse borders and to gain the freedom of movement necessary to escape political and social conflict. Dotted along the ice, the domes formed a settlement reminiscent of the images of refugee camps we see so often reported about on our television screens and newspapers. The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 to established freedom of scientific investigation, environmental protection, whilst also banning all military activity. In many ways this continent is still pure, a last fragile hope for a more equitable world. Drawing upon this visualization, the project Antarctic Village – No Borders, is a Utopian endeavour through which the artists consider the current climate of migration. A recent UN source stated that 2.2 million migrants will arrive in the rich world every year from now until 2050 and over the next four decades mass migration will result in an unprecedented global upheaval.
