violet Diaspora
2016 | Kunstverein Graftchaft Bentheim, Germany Northern 2017 Installed again | Northern Spark Festival, Minneapolis, MN
Installed on-site in Neuenhaus, Germany, this ephemeral work features a mirrored image of the world map outlined in sand atop a large pile of peat (including what is peat?). These materials were excavated from the Neuhaus, a town in northwest Germany, where forced migrant labor was historically used in peat mining. Planted with thousands of grass seeds, viewers were asked to water and care for the new turf that was beginning to emerge. Over time, borders began to dissolve, blurring the boundaries between where one country ends and another begins.
Outside of the landmass, situated in what would be the Indian Ocean, lies an open backpack belonging to Syrian refugee Mohammad Khaled. Synonymous with contemporary migration, the backpack becomes a container for one’s entire existence, harboring fragments of home and family. Violet Diaspora makes viewers aware of how much migrations of people and cultures need their care to survive.