Silke Müller (Austria/Germany) is taking part in Artists-in-residence programme as well as participating in the project “Travel Agency” at KCCC. Silke is residenting inKlaipeda: 2014 09 06–09 30.
Silke Müller (b. 1980) is an illustrator, graphic designer and free broadcasting journalist. Her studio is based in Linz/Austria.
Exhibition “The search for a safe harbour” 24 09 2014-19 10 2014
The illustrator Silke Müller was one year in “The search for a safe harbour”. The calling portKlaipedawas in September 2014 her temporary location.
As European citizen she tried to find 26 + 1 positioning marks between public and private concerning the idea of free mobility among and besides the European Union.
With drawing and collecting an illustrated research she wants to touch a position on a map, where so-called Western humanity and privileges are setting horrifying borders.
3rd October, 2013
… was “a day for crying”[1]. An Libyan migrant ship, on voyage from Misurata, Lybia to Lampedusa (Italy) with about 500 Eritrean and Somalian migrants, lost power, caught fire and sank after capsizing. 1 1/2 nm away from the safe harbour of the European island Lampedusa, 1/2 nm before theshore ofIsola dei Conigli (Rabbit Isalnd). Most of the poor passengers have paid between $8,000 and $12,000 dollars for the transfer toEurope.
366 people drowned. They could see land. 155 people survived the disaster. Lampedusa developed in the last 20 years into a symbol for European tragic.[2]
1st – 15th September, 2014
During time Silke Müller staid inKlaipedamore vessels sank on their way to Lampedusa. In horrific accidents over 600 individuals lost their lifes only in 15 days, in short period from September 1st – 15th 2014.
Laura Bastianetto, spokesperson of Italian Red Cross wrote: „From 1st to 15th September we had 17.000 migrants’ arrivals, 130.000 from January. The evaluate of drowned is more than 600. Among the migrants there are a lot of children. Yesterday also a pregnant woman, who gave birth a few hours after landing in Italy. In finally the origin’s countries are: Eritrea and Syria (almost 50%) and then Sub-Saharan Africa and Mali.[3]„
Stowaways
The coast guard of Klaipeda states: in port territory of Klaipeda there had been 3 illegal migrants in 2010: 2 refugees from Morocco (ship with Panama flag) and 1 citizen of Mali got illegally into ship in Mauritania (ship with Dominica flag). In 2011–2014 were no illegal migrants reported.[4]
Support:
LinzEXPOrt is a funding program of the City ofLinzand the Lithuanian Council for Culture.
www.popilke.de
Photos by Algirdas Kubaitis
[1] Pope Francis, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10355661/Italy-mourns-300-dead-in-Lampedusa-migrant-boat-tragedy.html, September 17th 2014
[2] cf. Ulrich Ladurner, Lampedusa – Große Geschichte einer kleinen Insel, Residenz Verlag, St. Pölten, 2014
[3] Mail correspondency with Italian red Cross, September 17th 2014
[4] Mail correspondency with coast guard Klaipeda, September 22th 2014
