Migration
Migration is a recurring theme in my work. I have made work about the long and hazardous migration of cranes from North Africa and Spain to northern Europe, learning about the ways that the birds help one another during their flight. Weaker cranes fly in the centre of the flock, supported by the updraught of air from the wing beats of the surrounding birds.
Shocked by the death of hundreds of migrants in their flimsy boats, I made a number of prints in response to the relentless news. Mare nostrum (Our sea) is the name that the Romans gave to the Mediterranean, and it was adopted by the Italian coastguards for their rescue missions in the early days of the crisis. My print Mare nostrum depicts a typical Mediterranean holiday scene, and the drowning migrants in the sea below. Terra nostra (Our land) shows two inflatable boats approaching the unwelcoming coast of Britain. 1750 represents the number of people drowned in the first three months of that year. There are 1750 lines etched into the plate.
