Cooperativa General Humana – Project : Always together on the road

Project : Always together on the road
Cooperativa General Humana (Álvaro Ramírez / Alba Mayol Curci)

Sat 26th 5.40pm – 6pm
Open Platform Stage

North Korea is unique in its isolation. Mobile devices, radios and GPS are not allowed, just as communication via internet is not possible and its territory is not present in Google maps. Though people cannot freely move or express, the State has learnt the basics of web development. Thus, in the official site of North Korea government, one can purchase a variety of items carrying the touristic brand of the country, such as DVDs, mugs, t-shirts and flags. As people cannot move and cannot use the net to convey their personal narratives, it is as if the souvenirs and their rhetoric could speak in their behalf. More accurately, in their shipping around the world, they speak of the people’s inability to move, leaving a trace of silence. Thus a series of such items were purchased to be exhibited as witnesses of the lack of freedom and mobility of the citizens, highlighting the faults of contemporary networking connections.
“Always together on the road” will be presented for the first time at Tracing Mobility Open Platform. The project started with a series of conversations with persons from South-Korea, regarding the relationships between both Koreas and the conflicts arising from their very different realities. Afterwards a brief internet investigation was carried out to find more data. In the performance of the action of purchasing the souvenirs, a Visa credit card was used.

Image: Álvaro Ramírez / Alba Mayol Curci