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
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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”
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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
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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).
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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 .