Atlas

The atlas maps out spaces of utility, care and pushback that people in-transit visit, inhabit and leave traces of their journey in. Some of these spaces are intended to inform people in-transit and grass-root organisations of the potential use of these multi-dimensional spaces.

Route: Ventimiglia⇠⇢Menton Route

On the frontier between Italy and France, we see hope and fear in Ventimiglia termed "The Calais of Italy" where the desperate and brave migrants try to cross the "Passage of Death" in search of a better life.

Just nine kilometres away from the Italian coastal town of Ventimiglia, stands a sign announcing the start of the first French town after the border: "Menton, the Pearl of France, is Happy to Welcome You". Ironically, this pearl of France is one of the least welcoming places for migrants crossing Europe.

Just a few metres away from that sign, one finds the office of French Border Police (PAF). According to observations carried out by the CAFI (the French Coordination for Border Actions), at least 100 migrants are brought to this facility every day, often kept for hours in inhumane conditions and eventually expelled under procedures that contradict European and international law.

Route: Bardonecchia⇠⇢Montgenevre⇠⇢Briancon

Briançon is a French commune of 11,000 inhabitants nestled in a valley in the Hautes-Alpes department, at an altitude of 1,300 meters, in the Écrins massif. But what makes it special, both geographically and historically, is that it is located only 15 km from the Italian border. This border area has always welcomed migrants coming across the border or brought from elsewhere in France, including Italians, North Africans, Portuguese, Eastern Europeans and Turks.

It began to be concerned by the “migration crisis” in November 2015, following the dismantling of the “jungle”. It was in 2015-2016, but especially in 2017, that migrants, called “the castaways of the mountain”, began again to cross the Echelle pass. These were single men, 50% of whom were minors, who crossed the Mediterranean, from West Africa, often coming for economic reasons, as well as Sudanese and Chadians. From 2018, the crossing is done more through the Montgenèvre pass.