A blue, boat-shaped silhouette greets visitors at the exhibition for the tenth anniversary of Sea Watch, the NGO that rescues migrants at sea. Attendees are invited to step inside to understand the cramped conditions on a vessel crossing the Mediterranean, overloaded for days in both fair and stormy weather. Titled “It Wasn’t the Sea,” the exhibit is hosted by Milan’s Fabbrica del Vapore from September 4th to 28th to chronicle the NGO’s decade of work.
On display are videos, front pages from newspapers documenting maritime tragedies over the years, and objects used on rescue boats. The items shown are specifically from the now-decommissioned Sea Watch 3 and are on loan from Berlin’s Museum of Technology. They include life jackets—even the smallest ones for infants—beds used to accommodate women and children after being rescued, and equipment utilized by the crew. Furthermore, the history of Sea Watch and the mechanics of a sea rescue are explained through informational panels and photographs.
“We would never have imagined ten years ago that we would still be here. It means there are still people in the hands of traffickers who continue to die and be in danger at sea,” stated Sea Watch spokesperson Giorgia Linardi. “We emerged to fill an institutional void that has today become a clear political choice.”
“What are we talking about when we talk about sea rescue, migration conditions, pushbacks, and immigration policies?” added the exhibition’s curator, Elisa Medde. “‘It Wasn’t the Sea’ offers a transmedia journey, articulated through images, audio, video, and objects, which aims to facilitate and bring this fundamental conversation back to the top of our priorities.”
‘It Wasn’t the Sea’ is not solely an exhibition; a series of talks will also be held. Guests will include Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, on September 9th; Carola Rackete on September 12th; and on September 20th, Ilaria Salis, who will discuss prisons with Luigi Manconi.