Artwork
Antarctica - Métisse Flag (Festival of the World)
Lucy + Jorge Orta, 2012
- Ref: 70.5053.01
- Materials: Flag netting (knitted) with a 98% show through on the reverse. Fire rating B1
- Dimensions: 560 x 400cm each flag. Edition of 40 (4 A.P.)
- Exhibition history: 2012 Southbank Centre London, UK
- Courtesy: Courtesy of the Artists and Southbank Centre London
- Concept: First installed in Antarctica by Lucy + Jorge Orta during their 2007 expedition No Borders, the Métisse Flag is a kaleidoscope of different nations, according to the artists: "As if through the filter of a prism, the flag concentrates all the national colours into the sum of light…. All identities coexist, side by side, hand in hand. The edges blend, symbolising belonging to a larger common identity. This flag should become the flag of the new world community, to be raised as a supranational emblem of human rights.”
This monumental crown of forty-four flags is installed on the roofs of Royal Festival Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall as well as the Queen’s Walk flagpole overlooking the river Thames. The work is unveiled by the Southbank Centre in celebration of the Festival of the World and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
