Liquid Violence at Kunstenfestivaldesarts 2019

Since 2011 Forensic Oceanography has been investigating the spatial conditions of the Mediterranean as a border zone, policies of (non-)assistance at sea, and their consequences for the lives of migrants. The multi-screen installation presented in Brussels, Liquid Violence, brings together three recent cases that were widely covered in the press: a boat abandoned at sea during NATO’s 2011 military intervention in Libya, and two reconstructions of the effects of the decision by Italy and the EU to cut back search and rescue activities at sea. For the three cases, the Forensic Oceanography team has undertaken impressive work acquiring videos, data and sound. While affecting us with its unprecedented accuracy, the work challenges the recent narrative that has been criminalising the rescue activities of NGOs and supporting Libyan actions to prevent and intercept departures. By referring to the aesthetics of the control rooms, the space of Liquid Violence raises a question about what should be monitored and invites you to not look away.