A boat’s afterlife: multiple translations of migratory debris

Over the past decade, images of boats crossing or sinking in Mediterranean have become extremely familiar to European publics. What is less processes through which those are re-purposed, becoming artistic even commodified goods once they reach a port landing. Caught between being considered waste and valuable objects, these debris been moved re-purposed with scarce acknowledgement political work that practices perform. This paper argues translation transform objects into valuables reveal crucial fault lines politics migration – such as limits posthumous commemoration de-politicisation border deaths. Translation works wide variety professional assembling value, informs staging materials valuables. By analysing case art installation Barca Nostra, this article rethinks role migratory multiplicity meaning attributed them by highlighting how must be read simultaneously value fully understand contribute deaths, leaving state violence unchallenged.