3 QUESTIONS | 3 MINUTES with Kamil Bembnista

1. How would you outline your understanding of borders?

“Borders are often supposed to provide order and structure and a certainty that something is mine and not yours. But the reality in human geography shows that the issue is way more complex. The increased meaning of borders therefore, should be associated with uncertainty, which is the core of my work. The derivation of the uncertainty of borders arises on the one hand from what they trigger when one is exposed to them, namely both vulnerability and resistance at the same time. On the other hand, the uncertainty of borders arises from their complex composition. I work with the conceptual approach of assemblage thinking that deals with the polymorphic composition of uncertain borders. These are composed of discursive and material elements of spatiality, temporality, agency and disruption. Another conceptual aspect of the work is the disclosure of borders in the form of the term exposure or act of exposure. This term takes up the disclosure (e.g. of asymmetries) that borders can trigger emotions, such as fear, but also a claim for so-called territorial sovereignty.”

2. What compelled you to create your film ‘Tempo Home’?

“The plot of Tempo Home is based in a very specific borderland, namely a container village for refugees. The aim was to show a perspective that allows emotional practices (like the simple act of home-making) in this often very clinical and hyper-administrative environment. I could not have achieved this aim by only writing about it. By adapting and altering the limited architecture of the containers, refugees show resistance. This is not only important in order to create a dialogue between the administration, the camp-management and the residents to better understand their needs. By altering the space, refugees are exposing the inhuman idea of a temporal living space.”

3. What needs to happen to rewire our Western/European understanding of migration?

“European migration politics nowadays are basically an answer to fear. On the one hand, democratic parties are afraid of losing their voters to right-wing populists and thus creating an artificially heated debate on the backs of refugees. The outsourcing of asylum procedures to third countries or the introduction of payment cards are mechanisms of exclusion and control. A more humane approach is needed in which, in addition to solidarity, the skills, interests and motivation of refugees are at the centre of the debate and they are also involved in decisions.”