TransBorder Project

TransBorder Project
邊境旅行計畫
2020

錄像裝置 17分19秒
Video installation 17’19”
Collecting by Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts

This project is inspired by observations of the underground economic network created by transborder travelers and China-made communication software: utilizing electronic payment technology, communication software and the network of transnational trade, transborder travelers are able to travel across national borders through both legal and illegal ways, building a massive exchange network with private currency exchange, forgery of documents, exchange of commerce, and agency of migrant workers. Their routes traverse India, North Africa, the US, France, etc.; and Bangkok, Beirut and other cities which had relatively loose control measures were used as their transitory stations.

Prior to the global financial crisis of 2008, Taiwan was one of the transitory stations. Some of these transborder travelers from South and Southeast Asia would work part-time in Taiwan to prepare for their following journeys to Europe and the US. Due to their identity, they usually worked in sites that were at the end of the global production chain, and had to move among different export processing zones and temporary markets. In this project, the artist creates a fictitious company called “TransBorder,” which provides services of travel, freight transportation, and financial products. Meanwhile, transborder travelers, who are staying in Taiwan as they wait for their identification documents or prepare for traveling to their next stops, are invited to be performers in the project, serving as the image ambassador of “TransBorder,” shooting image commercials, and recording the Podcast shows for the fictional interview program, “Travel weekend, tonight,” and the magazine, Travel.

Since their identity is shifting during their travels, the refugees might also choose to abandon the new identity, being unable to adapt to the modernized life, and return to the transitory station to wait for another travel. For this project, the artist has coined a new word – “transborderer,” which refers to the members in this community comprising refugees, migrant workers, agents, and merchants, and hopes to generate more and further discussions with the project.

(This is a rough translation of the original in Chinese)

本計畫源自於對於跨境旅行者與中國製通訊軟體所串聯起的地下經濟網絡的觀察：透過電子支付、通訊軟體與跨國貿易網絡，跨境旅行者透過合法與非法的方式穿梭在國界上，以私人匯兌、證件偽造、商務交流、移工仲介架構了龐大的交流網絡。其路線橫越印度、北非、美國、法國等地，並且曾經以入境管制相對寬鬆的曼谷、貝魯特等城市做為中轉站。

在2008年全球金融危機前，台灣曾經是跨境旅行者的中轉站之一。部分來自於南亞及東南亞的跨境旅行者在此打工，為前往歐美的下一階段旅程做準備。因身分限制，其工作場所往往位於全球生產鏈的末端，在各加工出口區與臨時市集間移動。在計畫當中，我虛構了一所提供旅行、貨物運輸及金融商品服務的公司「TransBorder」，並且邀請滯留在台灣等候身分證件、或正準備移動到下一站的跨境旅行人士作為計畫表演者，請他們擔任「TransBorder」的形象大使，拍攝形象廣告，錄製虛構的Podcast訪談節目「Travel weekend, tonight」、雜誌「Travel」等。

由於在移動中所有人的身份都是變動的，難民也有可能因為無法適應現代化的生活，而選擇拋棄身份，重新回到中轉站等待下一場旅行，我為計畫創造了一個新的字彙「Transborderer」，來指稱這個包含難民、移工、仲介與商人的族群，並且期待能透過計畫引起更多的討論。