Border Stone
Sahara (Outside Erfoud), Morocco
As Part of Boxes, Zones and Quarters Residency
June 29, 2014
Border Stone consists of a facsimile of a rock with a solar powered speaker mounted inside which emits intermittent tones into the expanse of Sahara desert that separates Morocco and Algeria. Border Stone attempts to sonically translate the ‘dotted line’, which is used to delineate disputed territories, alluding to a historical and ongoing colonial imposition of borders and sedentary settlement patterns on a traditionally nomadic Saharan people by initially the Spanish and French and now the Moroccan and Algerian governments.
NON PLUS ULTRA
Screening at Le Cube,
Rabat, Morocco
June 1, 2014
NON PLUS ULTRA is an intervention consisting of a flag that reads ‘NON PLUS ULTRA’ (Latin: No Further Beyond) installed in Tangier, Morocco facing across the Straits of Gibraltar towards Spain. NON PLUS ULTRA references the mythological Pillars of Hercules (thought to be the Rock of Gibraltar and Jebel Musa) which were said to have the slogan draped across them as a warning to sailors not to venture past into the perilous seas. This slogan was changed to ‘Plus Ultra’ and was subsequently adopted by Charles I King of Spain as a motto during a period of major colonial expansion encouraging explorers, traders and colonizers to venture past the ancient boundary and lay the groundwork for what became a globalized capitalist colonial economy facilitated by the first global currency, the Spanish Dollar (with the motto emblazoned on it) NON PLUS ULTRA functions not only as a statement imaging an end ‘to the march of capitalism’ but also serves to speak to issues surrounding migration across the Straits of Gibraltar (often perilously on makeshift crafts) from Northern Africa to Spain and other parts of Europe. There is the desire to go and leave ones country and go ‘further beyond’, goaded by hopes of prosperity abroad, which are often shattered with the reality of the difficult nature of life as a migrant worker, faced with discrimination, poor working conditions, and often abusive labour practices.