ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
The Mediterranean is one of the most important transnational borders separating the Global North from the Global South. Heightened border security and the military apparatus of the European Union’s member-states have made the Mediterranean’s border-scapes the scenes of the highest numbers of fatalities for migrants worldwide.
Transient Matter is based on ongoing fieldwork done by Yannis Hamilakis since 2016 on Lesvos, Greece, in collaboration with people in transit and many local people. In 2017, Brown graduate students joined the research team. The exhibition opened in the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology’s gallery at Manning Hall on the campus of Brown University on February 20th, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibition closed in mid-March. This online version of Transient Matter differs slightly in its organization to accommodate the transition from its installation in a physical space to its presentation in a digital format.