The Last Land, 2018                                                     
installation (corian, textile), 67 x 45 x 1cm

Marie Byrd Land in Antarctica is one of the last unclaimed territories on Earth. The Antarctic Treaty came into force after WWII and only permitted peaceful activities (this guiding principle was later applied to the Moon and outer space). Today, much of Antarctica is covered by a number of territorial claims with varying levels of recognition. Although the annexation of the continent is now difficult, tensions over Antarctica are intensifying due to its (supposed) potential in natural resources, oil, and gas. Ongoing geopolitics might disable the treaty after it expires in 2048, or even before that date.

By dividing the surface of Marie Byrd Land to the number of the world population, each citizen of the world would receive approximately 0,20 sq.m. of land. The work shows the shape of Marie Byrd Land re-scaled in proportion to this ratio.



  

             A view of mountains and glaciers in Antarctica’s                                                                                                                                                      
               Marie Byrd Land seen during the Nov. 2, 2014,
                                     IceBridge survey flight.
                            Credit: NASA / Michael Studinger 
                                                                                                                                                
 

  Marie Byrd Land has not been                                                 
claimed by any sovereign state.                                                
It is by far the largest single                                                  
unclaimed territory on Earth, with                                             
an area of 1,610,000 km2.