For The Island Lab, TFA in conversation with Re-Connect Platform selected a group of international creative minds which shared a specific life experience: they were festival managers, practising artists or members of cultural organisations. Additionally, they are all citizens of countries which face important mobility limitations. Participants were invited for an 8-day immersive experience which included body-oriented practices, deep listening and observation practices, time for artistic creation, as well as brainstorming and collective discussion on the possibilities of the context of action. The underlying intention was to understand the potentials and limitations of the selected Island as a possible meeting place for safe and accessible gatherings for artists and cultural agents facing geopolitical discrimination.  

The Island was selected by Re-Connect as the working title of its longer-term project, aimed at building regular art residencies with a festival outcome focusing on artists with limited global mobility. This name was also chosen as a manifesto and commitment to the remote, the unknown, the mysterious, and the not-yet-explored, serving as a brand that might extend to other locations in the future. The Island was also used as a metaphor to mark a ‘utopian land of a residency’ as part of the imaginative process around the Lab that aimed to challenge notions of identity beyond borders and nation states.  

In all communication with participants of the Lab prior to their arrival at the destination, the name of the actual island was deliberately not mentioned. Furthermore, the group agreed on a non-disclosure of the geographical location of the Lab as a statement of protection of the delicate human and more than human ecosystems of these sites, and as a way to limit from the beginning a possible growth of non-sustainable touristic attention that could be attracted through the project.  

The team proposed to work around several selected theoretical considerations. These topics were meant to kickstart conversations and give a general direction for brainstorm sessions and exchanges. Among the guiding themes for discussion, were the following:

Global mobility of passports

The main theme that the team proposed to reflect on was the distribution of global mobility.  

The Henley Passport Index is a ranking of reference and measures the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. Henley’s 2024 Global Ranking shows a gap between almost all European countries and many countries located in the SWANA region or on the African continent: while European countries lead the ranking with ‘visa-free scores’ ranging from 194-179 (indicating the number of countries that can be entered by passport holders of the respective country), citizens of for example Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, the Palestinian territories, as well as Lebanon are placed at the bottom of the ranking and are to achieve among the weakest values, with scorings between 28-45.  

This shows not only a striking disparity, but also the global mobility divide in our world. People from “low ranking” countries face mobility discrimination, whereas there is a de facto “passport privilege” of people who enjoy access and benefit of high global mobility. Besides the effect that this inequality has on the economic growth of entire countries, individuals with “low privilege” passports are oftentimes subjected to suspicion and fear and have to undergo complicated and often expensive visa application procedures. Being put into a visa application process reinforces global inequalities and power dynamics oftentimes being accompanied by racial profiling and the like.  

The Henley Openness Index on the other hand ranks all 199 countries and territories worldwide according to the number of nationalities they permit entry to without a prior visa. In their 2024 report, Turkey (open to 111 countries) is listed on position 33 being on the first position of all European countries (followed by Austria on the 48th position with an openness towards 93 countries as the EU leader of the list). Sources: https://cdn.henleyglobal.com/; https://sphaeramag.com/passport-privilege-unveiling-the-global-mobility-divide/ 

Re-Connect chose to organise their project on a Turkish island considering the relatively convenient situation for entry for many passport holders worldwide. At the same time, Turkey remains rather restricted for Syrian citizens, following the EU-Turkey refugee deal and an introduction of visa requirements for those coming from Syria. Furthermore, the situation for people from the Kurdish region remains difficult.  

Diversity and identity

Being closely linked to the subject of passport discrimination, the team invited the group to reflect together on the kind of personal information that is usually shared to define identity, together with the limitations resp. common ground that it can create. A catalogue of typical identity characteristics was compiled concerning areas of origin, profession and class. It was then agreed to leave out certain identity aspects in conversations on the island, especially in the first phase of getting to know each other. The collective commitment was to not ask each other: Where were you born and where are you coming from? as well as: What is your job and what is your position? Instead, participants were invited to gather questions about personal information that they would appreciate being asked about. A list of alternative questions was created that aimed to promote human to human interaction between participants. Please find here the full set of questions that participants have compiled prior to getting to know each other:  

How do you feel today? When was the last time you laughed really hard? What can I do for you? What has been a funny way to understand that life experiences are not the same for everyone? How do you treat yourself when travelling on your own? What's on your heart? What's your favourite memory? What moves you? What makes you move? What sparks you to wake up in the morning and start your day? What does desire mean to you? How does your body feel right now? When was the last time you felt really seen/ heard? What does growth mean for you? What was the last time you felt safe/unsafe? What are you passionate about? What’s your favourite way to relax? 

Further topics included:  

Funding, charity: The team proposed to reflect on the complexity of the international funding schemes, especially when they aim to support countries facing economic challenges or limited freedoms. Which needs are being mis-heard? Which side problems can the funding provoke?    

How connecting to the international scene can affect the local scene: Considering the vulnerability of island ecosystems in all its human and more than human forms, the team proposed to reflect on the risks of introducing cultural structures, dynamics and actors from the international scene.  

Food culture: The group was invited to reflect on food as a tool to weave diverse people and to interact in a casual but meaningful way. Also, as a way to host, to provide comfort and care and as a means to connect with our culture of origin.  

How can we reach out to local collaborators: Collaboration with locals, either artists or non-artist was a matter of discussion. How to address it in a respectful and meaningful way? Which local needs can be supported by a residency or festival?