European Dream. “Keep bangin’ on the wall”

EUROPEAN DREAM “Keep bangin’ on he wall” Ca la C uz Faculdade de Belas A es da Uni e sidade do Po o - I2ADS / Facul y o Fine A s om Uni e si y o Po o - I2ADS, OPo o, Po ugal Abs ac This pape discusses ideas a ound Eu opean iden i y, he ideal o ee mo emen , and he building o ‘Fo ess Eu ope’ h ough a is ic wo k I was de eloping be ween 2005 and 2006, and endo ses eminis heo is Rosi B aido i’s idea o “becoming mino i a ian” as an an ido e o building an Eu opean iden i y based on old and new xenophobic and acis ideas, suppo ed h ough my expe ience o leading he eminis exhibi ion p ojec All My Independen Wo/men be ween 2005 and 2013, as a simila p ojec o ope a ing om he ma gin as a place o po en iali y. Keywo ds: Eu ope, a , immig a ion, nomadic subjec i i y, becoming mino i a ian. Eu opean D eam. “Keep bangin’ on he wall” In 2006, I did a esidency in Finland – VAASA, whe e I se mysel he goal o be e unde s and wha is o be Eu opean, and wha be e way o do i han o a el o a a away Eu opean coun y and y and unde s and i we sha e he same ision o wha i is o be Eu opean. 4,000 km away om home, wha I ound was he same gene alised ea ha ou com o able li es would be aken away by o eigne s – nea by neighbou s o hose c ossing he Medi e anean. A e li ing o nine yea s in he Uni ed Kingdom, wi h B exi looming, I am back in Po ugal and hinking how hose a ising conce ns ha e come o occupy a cen al s age in Eu ope in he mids o a humani a ian c isis. In his pape , I will be e isi ing my que ies abou Eu opean iden i y and he ideal o ee mo emen , and he building o ‘Fo ess Eu ope’ h ough a is ic Ca la C uz, EUROPEAN DREAM. “Keep bangin’ on he wall” 65 wo k I was de eloping be ween 2005 and 2006, and calling upon eminis heo is Rosi B aido i’s idea o “becoming mino i a ian” as an an ido e o building an Eu opean iden i y based on old and new xenophobic and acis ideas. Fo ess Eu ope Keep bangin' on he wall Keep bangin' on he wall o o ess eu ope! – Asian Dub Founda ion, Fo ess Eu ope A he u n o he wen ie h cen u y, poli ical heo is Chan al Mou e (1993, 3) a i ms ha “ou socie ies a e unde going a deep p ocess o ede ini ion o hei collec i e iden i ies and expe iencing he es ablishmen o new poli ical on ie s.” I , acco ding o Mou e, be o e he collapse o Communism in he eas , wes e n democ acies could posi ion hemsel es as us – democ a s – agains hem – communis s – wi hou ha de ined ‘ hem’, he necessa y “ iend/enemy on ie is aking a mul iplici y o new o ms linked o he esu gence o old an agonisms – e hnic, na ional, eligious and o he s.” (Ibid.). Mo eo e , i , o Mou e, i is e y di icul o he mode a e igh and he le o ede ine a ‘ hem’, he adical igh , has al eady ound i s enemy. “I is p o ided by he ‘enemy wi hin’, he immig an s, which a e p esen ed by he di e en mo emen s o he ex eme igh as a h ea o he cul u al iden i y and na ional so e eign y o he ‘ ue’ Eu opeans.” (Ibid., 4). We' e he child en o globalisa ion No bo de s only ue connec ion Ligh he use o he insu ec ion This gene a ion has no na ion G ass oo s p essu e he only solu ion We' e si ing igh 'cause assylum is a igh – Asian Dub Founda ion, Fo ess Eu ope In 2003, as he UK elec onica band Asian Dub Founda ion (2003) was eleasing hei ou h album, Enemy o he Enemy, he Eu opean Union (EU) was celeb a ing 10 yea s o he Single Ma ke and i s ‘ ou eedoms’, eedom o mo emen o goods, se ices, people and money. (eu opa.eu). Howe e , o my NOTES ON EUROPE. The Dogma ic Sleep P oceedings. Po o, Oc obe 29-31 2019 66 gene a ion, ee mo emen wi hin he EU, el o be mo e abou commodi y ci cula ion han people’s. As he EU ook down ba ie s be ween i s membe s a e’s bo de s, he bo de s o he ou side wo ld we e g owing. Mo eo e , as Rosi B aido i (2004) a i ms, “ he ede ini ion o Eu opean bounda ies coincides wi h he esu gence o mic o-na ionalisms a all le els in Eu ope.” Keep banging on he wall o o ess eu ope Keep banging Keep banging on he wall o o ess eu ope – Asian Dub Founda ion, Fo ess Eu ope The 2005 inciden a he Melilla Wall1 – he physical ba ie be ween Mo occo and Spain, buil specially o con ain immig a ion – which saw hund eds o sub- Saha an A ican mig an s ying o climb o e he ences, some o die a he hands o Mo occan secu i y o ces, exace ba ed ha eeling o li ing in Fo ess Eu ope. In he same yea , I was making he sculp u e EUROPA (C uz, 2005), ig 1.2 1 Buil in he 1980s a e he en ance o Spain o he hen CEE, imp o ed and ex ended in he 1990’s, he Melilla wall consis s o 11km o pa allel 6m high ences opped wi h ba bed wi e, wi h egula wa ch pos s and police pa ol. Unde g ound cables connec spo ligh s, noise, and mo emen senso s, and ideo came as. I s heigh was doubled a e he 2005 inciden . (Eu opean Commission, 2005, 70). The sculp u e, esembling an illumina ed shop sign, ails o swi ch on pe manen ly, commen ing on my eeling o a ailing Eu opean Union, ha o sakes people in need, as a h ea o in e nal p ospe i y and peace. 2 P esen ed o he i s ime a he exhibi ion 16 salas 16 a is as – Labo a ó io das A es, Guima ães, 2005. Ca la C uz, EUROPEAN DREAM. “Keep bangin’ on he wall” 67 Figu e 1. Eu opa, ligh -box, 51 x 71 x 13 cm, Ca la C uz, 2005. (Pho o by Ca la C uz, cou esy o he a is ) Who doesn' un when hey' e eel he hunge F om whe e o wha o when o he e o he e People caugh up in ed ape nigh ma e – Asian Dub Founda ion, Fo ess Eu ope Following heo is and ac i is F anco Be a di (2010, 3), “Eu ope is weal hy because i has his o ically managed o alo ize compe ence, and no jus compe i ion, o welcome and in eg a e o he cul u es. And, i mus be said, i is also weal hy because o ou cen u ies i has e ouciously exploi ed he physical and human esou ces o o he con inen s.” Eu ope, weal hy because i in eg a ed/exploi ed o he cul u es, in i s endless a emp o become, and us, i s newly moulded ci izens wonde ing wha is o become Eu opean, a e we moulding o i s image? And wha image is ha ? NOTES ON EUROPE. The Dogma ic Sleep P oceedings. Po o, Oc obe 29-31 2019 68 Figu e 2. Eu ope – whe e a e you?, pho og aphy, Ca la C uz & Ângelo Fe ei a de Sousa, 2006. (Pho o by F ancesco Ven ella, cou esy o he a is s) In 2006, ellow a is Ângelo Fe ei a de Sousa and I sen a call o o he Eu opean based cul u al wo ke s: Dea iend We in i e you o ake pa o he p ojec "Eu ope – whe e a e you?" Fo he p ojec we ask you o ake a pic u e o you sel o o he s hi chhiking o Eu ope. 1. w i e EUROPE on a ca dboa d 2. place you sel holding he ca d on he side o a oad, as i hi chhiking. 3. documen i on pho og aphic o m. 4. send i wi h good p in ing quali y o: [email p o ec ed] A he ime, he suspicion was ha mos Eu opean ci izens el Eu ope was elsewhe e, o a leas he Eu ope signi ied by he EU. Be a di goes on o a i m Ca la C uz, EUROPEAN DREAM. “Keep bangin’ on he wall” 69 ha he e is an aes he ic o he Eu opean Union, which is a cold one. “The Eu opean Union was bo n in he a e ma h o Wo ld Wa II wi h he goal o o e coming old na ionalis and ideological passions, and he e lies i s p og essi e and p agma ic na u e. La ely, howe e , his ounding an i-my hological my h seems o ha e been blu ed, con used, o go en.” (Be a di, 2010, 4). The p ospe ous and peace ul image o he Eu opean Union, wi h i s glass and conc e e buildings, whi ewashed his o y, has also played a mo e conse a i e, and pe haps dange ous ole, acco ding o B aido i (2004, 135), which is “ he Eu opean Union p ojec as a sel -appoin ed cen e, which uni e salizes i s own eading o ‘ci iliza ion’.”3 Figu e 3. Eu opean D eam, ins alla ion wi h Mo occan Ca pe , 142 X 220cm, and Sound Piece in collabo a ion wi h Ma a Von ÓiÓai, Ca la C uz, 2006, p i a e collec ion. (Pho o by Ca la C uz, cou esy o he a is ) 3 See cu en discussions in Po ugal on he supe io i y o Eu opean cul u es as a p oo o his cen al ole and i s dange s. The sociologis Paulo Mendes, w o e he ollowing o he Po uguese newspape Público, in esponse o a polemical and acis a icle, o he same newspape , by Ma ia de Fá ima Boni ácio: “O he whole web o p ejudice o he a icle o MFB, I would highligh i s only posi i e poin : i helped o b ing he subjec o acism and disc imina ion ou o he close o be discussed by he Po uguese socie y and made us lea e behind ha un ealis ic idea ha he e is no acism in Po ugal o , al e na i ely, ha ou acism is milde han in o he coun ies.” [my ansla ion] (Mendes, 2019). NOTES ON EUROPE. The Dogma ic Sleep P oceedings. Po o, Oc obe 29-31 2019 70 In he same pe iod, I made he ins alla ion piece, Eu opean D eam (C uz, 2006a)4 As he ‘ hem’, as Mou e (1993) a gues, is ansposed om he o me eas e n Eu opean bloc, o he igh populis ision o he unci ilized immig an , he ision o a welcoming na u e o Eu ope is ading. Eu ope, he p omise land o milk and honey, o en ep eneu ship, whe e you could eap he ui s o you labou , is shedding i s obe and showing i s uglie ace, Fo ess Eu ope, whe e, as B aido i (2004, 133) wa ns, Eu ocen ism is being eplaced by Eu opism – “i.e. he belie in an e hnically pu e Eu ope.” , ig 3, which commen s on he idea o he Ame ican D eam ansposed o Eu ope, and on he a ising o he mig a ion c isis. The piece is composed o an al e ed Mo occan ca pe , Eu opean blue, ha conceals he ex EUROPEAN DREAM, and a sound piece ha includes audio eco ded on he e yboa be ween Algeci as and Tangie , and on he s ee s o Tangie , mixed wi h adio samples om Eu opean adio s a ions and Eu opean Ba oque, T ance and Flamenco music, alluding o he c ossings be ween he wo con inen s. Ângelo Fe ei a de Sousa (2006), w o e o ou 2006 exhibi ion Jusqu’ ici ou a bien, ig 2, he ollowing: … This land abo e geog aphy, his Guan ánamo, a e i o y be ween wo walls is, as i is well known, he wo s place o be. The walls a e olde han skysc ape s. None heless, bo h ske ch he dances o ea , ma king he Ea h wi h his o ha , empo a y, poli ical powe . Le ’s ha e a look a some examples, he Wall o China (c. 16m heigh , 8m wide, c. 2500 km long), in ended o s op he en ance o he Mongols; Had ian’s Wall (c. 4.5m heigh , 3m wide and 118 km long), o p e en he en ance o Ba ba ians in o he Roman Empi e; … Is ael Wes Bank Ba ie (438 km long, eaching a some poin s 8m heigh ), secu i y o some seg ega ion o o he s; Mexico-Uni ed S a es Ba ie (a non-con inuous s uc u e o 930 km and 7m heigh ), in ended o educe he en ance o illegal immig an s om cen al and Sou h Ame ica in o US e i o ies. Ba ie s 4 Made o he exhibi ion Ci yscapes, cu a ed by Miguel on Ha e Pé ez, Plumba Galle y, ARCO Mad id A Fai , 2006. The ca pe s used o make he piece we e bough in Che chaouen – Mo occo, 2006. Ca la C uz, EUROPEAN DREAM. “Keep bangin’ on he wall” 71 o ba ba ians. […] On he g ounded pe spec i e o he nomad, o he new ba ba ian, he challenge o he wall is o o e come i . ‘Them’, hese cons i u i e ‘o he s’, as B aido i (2004, 132) explains, “cons i u e espec i ely: he second sex o sexual complemen o Man; he colou ed, acialized o ma ked o he ha allows he Eu opeans o pass o hei whi eness as he de ining ai o humani y.” Today, as Eu ope is s uggling wi h mul icul u alism and specially a a ime o inc easing acism, he my h o whi eness and he assump ion o monocul u alism in Eu ope mus be challenged. B aido i (Ibid., 136) s a es: Eu opean his o y a any poin in ime p o ides ample e idence o he con a y: wa es o mig a ions om he Eas and he Sou h make a mocke y o any claim o e hnic o cul u al homogenei y in Eu ope, while he pe sis en p esence o Jewish and Muslim ci izens challenges he iden i ica ion o Eu ope wi h Ch is iani y. Figu e 4. Welcome, pe o mance, Ca la C uz, 2006, (Pho o by Ca la C uz, cou esy o he a is ) NOTES ON EUROPE. The Dogma ic Sleep P oceedings. Po o, Oc obe 29-31 2019 72 In 2006, I w o e he ollowing o accompany my solo exhibi ion Fea +Desi e, a Pla o m Galle y, Vaasa: E e y yea housands o people lea e hei home owns, hei coun ies, in sea ch o a be e li e, a bea able li e. These people no mally a el om coun yside o bigge owns, om poo e coun ies o iche coun ies, om coun ies a wa o wi h o ali a ian egimes o democ a ic and peace ul coun ies. These people – mig an s – a e he mo o o se e al high income de eloped coun ies ha wouldn’ be able o main ain he le el o p oduc ion and quali y o li e wi hou hem. A e ha ing been p ima ily coun ies o emig a ion o mo e han wo cen u ies, many coun ies wi hin he Eu opean Union g adually became des ina ions o in e na ional mig an s. […] in his millennium Eu ope is a con inen a peace, a leas wi hin i s bo de s. Bu ha hasn’ been so o he las cen u ies. […] This appa en peace is kep alongside a cons an s a e o ea . Bu wha a e we mos a aid o ? Loosing someone dea o us o one’s li e, su ely, comes i s , bu apa om ha , wha a e Eu opeans a aid o ? We a e a aid o he unknown, unce ain and insecu e. We a e a aid o hose who wan he same as we do. Those who desi e secu i y and peace. We a e a aid o hose who in ade ou bo de s o li e ou ways, bu no qui e he same way. […] (C uz, 2006c). Welcome (C uz, 2006b), ig 4, is a pe o mance piece, made du ing he a is ic esidency in Vaasa, whe e I c ea ed a li e sized cake, in he shape o a ‘ acialized’ human body, as i i was washed asho e, and in i ed he isi o s o welcome him by singing he Swedish e sion o he happy bi hday song, be o e joining in in ea ing he body-cake. The Swedish bi hday song says5: Yes, you mus li e, yes, you mus li e, yes, you mus li e a hund ed yea s.6 5 Swedish is he second o icial language in Finland and spoken by he majo i y o ins li ing in Vaasa. The pe o mance was accompanied by Finish mou ning music. Bo h a wake and a welcoming pa y, Welcome was made o make hose who joined in uncom o able. 6 My ansla ion o he o iginal: Ja, må du le a, Ja, må du le a, Ja, må du le a u i hund ade å .