Liminal States

Multi-channel sound/video installation, 33’16”, o.T.Projektraum – Berlin, Germany

The artistic research project Liminal States reflects critically on the current, so-called “migration crisis“, thus addressing aspects related to the rise of nationalist and far-right movements and politics in Europe and beyond, the erection of new borders and the lethal consequences for thousands of people. Informed by subjective experiences of migrants who live or have lived in Berlin, it connects work in three places: Tangier, Morocco (one of the most frequented crossing point for migrants from Africa to Europe), Berlin (historically a city divided by a wall, nowadays an international cultural hub) and Tabanovce, Macedonia (a village on the Macedonian-Serbian border, part of the “Balkan Route“ of migration). In light of the element of movement, displacement, or denied passage, the project questions states of being which are defined and conditioned by geography, from both local and global perspective. Featuring original audio interview material, excerpts of sound- and videoscapes, the multi – channel installation interweaves stories and places, thereby challenging the complex and liminal states of identity, belonging and Othering. A special focus with respect to Berlin as a rapidly changing city lies on Berlin Neukölln, which in many aspects reflects global conditions and states related to migration.