Schengen's kit

Schengen’s kit, comprising a zippered black bag with red cloth poppies and panels of instructive textIn this final section of the online exhibition, we explore some of the variety of formats and material contained in our collections.

The items featured illustrate attractive and experimental works of art, based loosely around the format of the book.

Christine Kermaire is an artist who has been trained in the use and application of synthetic materials, and is based in Charleroi, Belgium. She has produced a number of works which have been inspired by contemporary political themes. These probe the boundaries between the book as a physical object and other art forms, and pose fundamental questions about the nature of the book.

Close up of panels 1&2 of Schengen’s kit, comprising a zippered black bag with red cloth poppies and panels of instructive textAlthough this work is on a larger scale than her other productions, its aesthetic intention is the same. Several other works by Kermaire are in the Foyle Special Collections Library, and are available for consultation. These are all in limited editions, and were donated by the author.

This work was inspired by a visit by Kermaire in 2015 to two Greek islands where settlements for refugees from Asia and Africa are situated.

It comprises a zippered black cloth bag with red cloth poppies at the top and eight laminated panels of text attached. As an object, it is a stark depiction of the refugee crisis.

The text, which consists of ‘instructions’ for refugees, also offers a bitterly ironic critique of the European response to the refugees’ plight. As part of Panel 9 states: ‘Try to avoid getting wet as much as possible.’

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