/ Promised Land /
[The 2012 caption was edited in 2022 as a result of some of the seismic events that took place since. The annexation of Crimea by Russia, the war in Syria, the migration crisis in Europe, Brexit, Donald Trump's election, the rise of right wing populism, the Covid pandemic, and, of course, the ongoing Climate Crisis, just to name a few ].
Pro-globalization advocates celebrate the flow of wealth, optimisation of production and better cultural exchange. However, as financial crisis, organised crime and even diseases go global, there’s an increasing number of voices defending greater isolation. Historical, religious and ethnic tension are used to justify greater political autonomy and the break up of existing states.
[Image 1] In ‘Promised Land’, I made real the dreams of millions of separatists by creating an alternative map of the world they envisioned, where their movements succeeded in creating new countries either through the separation of internationally recognised borders or by merging transnational territories.
[Image 2] Multiple claims to the same territory indicate a potential conflict of interests which could lead to armed clashes and civil war. This map highlights which areas in the world are being disputed by more than one group.
[Image 3] Pictures of the Earth at night are a fairly precise way to measure population density. In this case it also shows how many people would be affected by the new nations. [North Korea being due to poor infrastructure and ongoing power cuts that affects millions of people]
[Image 4] Overlaying the two maps reveal areas where conflict and human concentration can lead to potential humanitarian disasters. Despite showing some fairly stable areas in the West it also presents regions of ongoing conflicts and large refugee flows.
Year: 2012