Coding and decoding borders at the dawn of the 21st century

Coding and decoding borders at the dawn of the 21st century is an event encompassing art, research and practice. Combining an exhibition and an international conference, it will host, at the Faculty of Architecture and the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Université Libre de Bruxelles, and at the Headquarters of the World Customs Organization (WCO), researchers, artists and experts who will discuss the growing technologization of controls of persons, goods or capital which cross borders. As with the previous events organized by the antiAtlas of Borders, this conference/exhibition truly breaks away from compartmentalization of the fields of knowledge, creation and practice. By offering different levels of lecture and of participation, it opens up beyond academic, political and professional circles to reach the public at large. The call for projects is for the exhibition which will be held from 13 April to 31 May at the Espace Architecture La Cambre Horta on the Flagey campus of the Université Libre de Bruxelles. The exhibition curators and the Scientific and Artistic Committee are seeking diverse works (net.art, installations, videos, documentaries, video games, plastic arts, etc.) that reflect the processes related to the technologization of border controls, whether relating to persons, goods or capital. For the past 20 years, many stakeholders (researchers, journalists, NGO workers and activists, elected politicians, employees of national administrations and international organizations, etc.) have been observing, documenting, studying and at times condemning the technologization of border controls. Alongside the militarization of borders, traditional control systems are now complemented by the deployment at state borders of increasingly sophisticated technologies (biometrics, robots, walls, integrated surveillance systems, data mining, big data, etc.) to control movements of population groups, goods, capital and information. Analysts of this intensive deployment of technology generally tend to look at the objects of control separately: persons, goods and capital. Yet we should also look into the question of the possible movement and transfer of knowledge and techniques from one of these objects to another. Any analysis of border controls, whatever the object, needs to look at the same questions, namely efficiency, “fraud” and diversion. Deadline for receipt of applications: 15 January 2016 Date of selection of works by the scientific and artistic committee: 30 January 2016 The projects should be submitted in the form of PDF files, comprising a presentation of the project and the visuals, to the following address: (antiAtlas is unable to finance the production of new works, but the projects selected will receive EUR 500 for the distribution rights) antiAtlas web site: http://www.antiatlas.net/en Exhibition curators: Isabelle Arvers (antiAtlas, Kareron) and Nathalie Levy (ULB Université Libre de Bruxelles) Communication: Myriam Boyer (antiAtlas, Kareron) Organizing Committee Andrea Rea (ULB Université Libre de Bruxelles), Thomas Cantens (WCO, antiAtlas), Patricia Revesz (WCO), Cédric Parizot (IREMAM, CNRS/Aix Marseille University, antiAtlas), Anne Laure Amilhat-Szary (PACTE, CNRS/University of Grenoble, antiAtlas), Jean Cristofol (Ecole supérieure d’art d’Aix-en-Provence, antiAtlas), Federica Infantino (ULB Université Libre de Bruxelles, antiAtlas), Julien Jeandesboz (ULB Université Libre de Bruxelles), Antoine Vion (LEST, CNRS/Aix Marseille University) Scientific Committee Anne Laure Amilhat-Szary (PACTE, CNRS/University of Grenoble, antiAtlas), Didier Bigo (King’s College), Thomas Cantens (WCO/antiAtlas), Jean Cristofol (École supérieure d’art d’Aix-en-Provence, antiAtlas), Federica Infantino (ULB Université Libre de Bruxelles, antiAtlas), Dirk Jacobs (ULB Université Libre de Bruxelles), Julien Jeandesboz (ULB Université Libre de Bruxelles), Christian Olsson (ULB Université Libre de Bruxelles), Cédric Parizot (IREMAM, Aix Marseille), Andrea Rea (ULB Université Libre de Bruxelles), Patricia Revesz (WCO), Antoine Vion (LEST, University Aix Marseille) Partners Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Group for Research on Ethnic Relations, Migration & Equality (GERME), World Customs Organization, antiAtlas des frontières, Institute for Research and Study on the Arab and Muslim World (CNRS/Aix Marseille University), LabexMed project (Aix Marseille university, Fondation A*midex), Mediterranean Laboratory of Sociology (CNRS/Aix Marseille University), Labour Economics and Sociology Laboratory (CNRS/Aix Marseille University), PACTE (CNRS/University of Grenoble), Kareron and the Ecole supérieure d’Art d’Aix en Provence.