ARTICLE 14

2017

My proposal for the Platz der Menschenrechte (Human Rights Square) is a red area in the form of the Austrian national territory, surrounded by the words: “When crossing the marked area, I confirm that everyone has the right to seek and enjoy asylum (Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)”.

The sentence declares the entering of the color field as a performative act by which passers-by symbolically recognize the right to seek asylum. Accordingly, people who reject this article would have to take a detour, because all axes crossing the square run through the red area. ARTICLE 14 deals with the intersection of the general declaration of the Human Rights with the Austrian rule of law: the discrepancy between national legislation on the one hand and human rights on the other creates problems for those affected, but it also opens up the political field where the human rights must be enforced. Only if concrete actions are taken to defend them and make them real Human Rights will be more than beautiful words. My proposal ARTICLE 14 illustrates this on a symbolic level: the commitment to a politically explosive article of the human rights is hot-wired with an everyday activity – the use of public space – and thus linked with a real action. At the same time, it seems to link the confession to Article 14 with the crossing of an area in the form of the Austrian national state. However, this absurdity is reflected in the fact that a distinction is made between human beings who have an Austrian or other EU passport and those who do not. The aim of my proposal is to initiate a discussion about the implementation of the human rights when it comes to the treatment of todays refugees in the Austrian context.