Several weeks ago was Migration Week but as always, migration is an issue every day of the year.The Guardian did something remarkable on the Wednesday of that week: they put out a supplement which listed the names of over 36 000 migrants who had died trying to get to Europe (or when they arrived in Europe) Details of their names, place of origin etc. were all included, including the cause of death.
Here is the background:
Istanbul-based artist Banu Cennetoğlu, whose work explores the way knowledge is collated and distributed, and its subsequent effect on society, has worked with the List since 2002.
Among other places, she has put it on bus stops in Basel, Switzerland; billboards in Amsterdam; a wall in Los Angeles; advertising columns in Berlin; and a public screen on top of Istanbul’s Marmara Pera hotel.
This is the first time the List has appeared as a supplement in an English-language newspaper; it is also available from today as a downloadable PDF on the Guardian’s website.
The List is not an artwork in itself – the art lies in its dissemination. Cennetoğlu always ensures that the look of the list remains the same – a grid of data, showing the year, the name of the refugee, where he or she came from, the cause of the death and the source.
I had a fascinating talk at the school's Open morning a few weekend's ago with someone who was at the premier of Ai WeiWei's 'Human Flow' documentary.I've got a copy of that, and will be using elements of it in my teaching next time I teach this topic.
The mapping and data in the Guardian supplement can also be found here.
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