Manufacturing Sovereignty

Julie Sprypoulou explores the strategies adopted by the Chinese state around the construction of seven artificial islands in disputed waters. China has redesigned the natural world to establish power over the six other claimants of the South China Sea. Each island becomes an imperialist tool to gain political, military and financial control. Following a materials-based narrative, an earth-core sample and a video demonstrate how the ‘act of building’ has become central in claiming sovereignty. With satellite images being the only available visual sources, the ‘Manufacturing Sovereignty’ installation offers a double reading of one of seven islands. Its flat reality is shown through a vertical representation of its construction.