The border
is the line between two countries or states, which marks where one ends
and the other begins. They are delineated by lines on a map
and decided by governments or national leaders, but not always recognised
or agreed on. Wars continue to be fought by nations
or peoples who disagree over where the border lies between them.
Maps
have always been a tool of defining and claiming regions, as well as dividing
peoples, particularly during colonial times. While they may follow a mountain
range or the edge of a lake, borders are not natural geographic divisions -
animals and weather don't recognise them. But the borders surrounding a nation
are used
to regulate who or what is
included and who or what
is excluded. This applies
to both
territory and people.
As
well as providing physical partitions, borders can be
metaphors
for the notional boundaries which define social, religious or cultural differences
and divisions. Yukinori Yanagi is a Japanese artist who examines these meanings
in his time-based sculptures.
National
identity is constructed both within
a country and outside of it. A country's own sense of itself and its character
is built up over time through language, culture and religion. How a country
is perceived from outside is often related to
tourism
and how the landmarks
and images chosen to
symbolise a country
are portrayed to visitors.
In
a postindustrial global economy, many nations rely on tourism as a key source
(sometimes the only source) of national income. It is often the uniqueness or
difference within a country that makes
it seem appealing or '
exotic' to
outsiders. But sometimes national customs or
dress are only maintained for
the tourist economy, their
authenticity being
manufactured by a
heritage industry.
Foreign travel and sightseeing
have been
leisure pursuits for nearly 200 years and have shaped our knowledge of other
countries, but in the late twentieth century,
particularly in the West, these activities have increased massively. Tourism
is
now seen as a potential threat to
some traditional economies, as
well as the ecology of many
parts of the globe.
Manit Sriwanichpoom is
an artist/activist from Thailand who is particularly concenred with the effects
of tourism and 'cultural imperialism'.
Other artists you might investigate, whose work examines these themes are:
