Migrants at Bay

Sybertek: Migrants at Bay is a speculative reflection on the migrant crisis by CAM Collective, researched and prototyped for the ADA-DADA 2020-2021 residency.

This interactive experience was inspired by the current data collection and presentation on the migrant crisis. The story begins after a migrant incident has occurred in the imagined future of a fictional surveillance nation state, The Republic of Sybertek. The Ministry of Border Security and Citizen Protection (BSCP) is attempting to curb the flow of irregular migration at their seaside borders. The scene invites the participant to take on the role of a state appointed Migrant Incident Documentation Officer (M.I.D.O) tasked with “recording” information about the migrant’s belongings that have washed up after a smuggler boat carrying people has capsized. 

Using worldbuilding and storytelling, we attempt to highlight stories behind the humans who are often forced to migrate. In doing so, we wanted to respond to cold statistical data that omits the cruel reality of the crisis. The work considers the question “who collected this data, and what is left out?”. 

Migrants at Bay was created at a time when many countries around the world were closing their borders, not only to refugees but also to each other. The COVID-19 pandemic made us nostalgic and homesick about places we were not able to visit, whether they were in the memories of our past, or had recently changed due to the climate. We are not at home, but we have made a home in other continents. The ocean separates us from home; this made us think of the different meanings that the ocean can hold for many people, particularly in the context of migration.

The making of the work was driven by a need to reflect on the push of war and displacement, and the pull of dreams of a better life in a new land. The work is a rumination on the tragedy of those dreams never being realized, and the notion of in-betweenness whether in the physical or spiritual realms. It engages with the idea that home is more than a location; it can be a feeling of belonging, the things you carry with you, or even the people you surround yourself with … Through the speculative world of Sybertek, we catch small glimpses of lives lived and lost, things carried, journeys taken, and destinations never reached.

In our scene, at the Wandering Sands Beach border patrol checkpoint, you find yourself in the role of a Migrant Incident Documentation Officer (M.I.D.O). Your duty is to collect information on the remnants of the “migrant incident.” Below is a list of stories we created for each remnant: 

Backpack
Description:
Appears to be an adult size backpack. Containing children’s clothing folded tightly together.
Additional Notes:
Among the clothes, wound up inside a cotton sock, is a tiny super hero action figure toy.

Purple String Bag
Description:
A purple adult size bag containing 2 pairs socks, a pink baseball cap, size 5 diapers for children aged 2–3 years old, Blood-pressure medication, 50 spf sunscreen, Colgate whitening toothpaste, bandage, 1 terabyte flash drive, burgundy rosary, and yellow guitar pick.
Additional Notes:
Flash drive contains a collection of family photographs, bank statements, and scanned school certificates.

Green Waist Pack
Description:
2 Passports, 2 Identity cards, 2 adult vaccination cards, 1 child vaccination card, and 2 SIM cards
Additional Notes:
1 passport belongs to Mr. [name redacted] and 1 passport belongs to Ms. [name redacted]. Vaccination cards belong to [names redacted]. 2 SIM cards from Telebell.

Matchbox
Description:
A worn matchbox with a SIM card inside, two tiny seashells, a coin, and a folded photograph inside. 
Additional Notes:
Photograph appears to be of a woman. 

Boot
Description:
Brown Women's boot, size 8.
Additional Notes:
Worn-out soles and two holes near the toe area. Brand: Buma

Pocketwatch
Description:
A small pocket watch, still ticking, glass intact, with an inscription on the back.
Additional Notes:
The inscription reads—“Baba, May this watch bring you luck.”

Pink foam clog
Description:
A pink foam clog, found buried in the sand. 
Additional Notes:
The shoe appears to be a child’s size shoe. 

Book
Description:
A notebook with a note scribbled on the first page.
Additional Notes:
The note reads—“It is getting bad here. Yesterday, the army fired on our school with a tank. All the youth have disappeared. We’re running away at midnight ... we haven’t even said goodbye to our mother.”

Teddy Bear
Description: 
Brown teddy bear, most likely belonging to a child. Exhibits new inseam stitches. 
Additional Notes:
Two 14-carat wedding rings found stuffed inside the bear. Inscription on ring 1 “Yours forever.” Inscription on ring 2 “Till death do us part.”

Pill bottle
Description: 
Nearly full pill bottle of over-the-counter anti-nausea medication.
Additional Notes:
1 cyanide pill found among the pills. 

Cosmetic Mirror
Description: 
An engraved silver hand mirror.
Additional Notes: 
Engraving on the back side of the mirror says “Congratulations on your wedding day, my lovely sister. May you always shine in beauty”.