Ground Sea: Photography and the Right to Be Reborn

Ground Sea is an associative travelogue that explores the borderscape near the Channel Tunnel, combining ethnography, visual materials, political philosophy, cultural geography, and critical analysis. It offers a powerful meditation on the indifference of an increasingly divided European Union towards persons on the move, who find themselves stranded close to Calais, using the contested Strait of Dover as a microcosm for global challenges of migration, climate change, human rights, and neoliberal surveillance technology.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 1000 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2021
Publisher: Leuven University Press

In a world where every individual possesses the fundamental right to be reborn, Hilde Van Gelder's associative travelogue weaves a captivating tapestry, drawing inspiration from Allan Sekula's renowned sequence Deep Six / Passer au bleu (1996/1998). This visionary exploration delves into the borderscape near the Channel Tunnel, encompassing artworks by Sylvain George and Bruno Serralongue. Through an innovative methodological approach, Ground Sea combines ethnography, visual materials, political philosophy, cultural geography, and critical analysis, offering a profound meditation on the indifference of an increasingly divided European Union towards a significant number of persons on the move, who find themselves stranded in the vicinity of Calais. Resolutely embracing an aquatic perspective, Ground Sea unveils a powerful contemplation on the indifference of our global challenges, including migration, climate change, human rights, and neoliberal surveillance technology. This captivating journey unfolds through the contested Strait of Dover, serving as a microcosm where these pressing issues converge, inviting us to reflect upon the complexities of our interconnected world.

Weight: 2040g
Dimension: 230 x 170 x 45 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789462702653