Shipwreck at the Threshold of Europe, Lesvos, Aegean Sea

On October 28, 2015, during what has been described as the “long summer of migration,” a boat carrying more than 300 people departing from Turkey sank in international waters off the Greek island of Lesbos, causing the deaths of at least 43 people. Among the survivors was the artist Amel Alzakout, who documented the journey and the shipwreck using a waterproof camera strapped to her wrist. Those images later became the basis for her film Purple Sea (Germany, 2020, 67’). In collaboration with Alzakout, Forensic Architecture reconstructs the boat’s entire route, the shipwreck, and the rescue operations that followed. Interweaving Alzakout’s footage with a range of other sources — including videos made by activists, the press, and the Greek coast guard, long-range thermal footage by the artist Richard Mosse, and meteorological data — the collective analyzes the unfolding of events, as well as the actions and interactions of the various actors involved: traffickers, migrants, rescuers, coast guard officers, Frontex agents, activists, fishermen, and NGOs. The investigation ultimately seeks to answer the question “what happened,” identify possible responsibilities, and bring to light the complex political dynamics that continue to shape migration today.