
Under the Surface invites viewers to consider the hidden layers beneath everyday appearances, suggesting that significant, unseen forces often shape our social landscape. Like migration and other large-scale movements, the true depth and impact of these forces only emerge with closer, more thoughtful examination.
When I began this project, I had just moved to a new home, using countless boxes. I became aware of the “hidden life” of these boxes during the moving process and noticed how, much like people, they gather for a purpose, then regroup and move on toward new objectives. This led me to wonder if there might be a larger pattern in their movements across the world. Searching through import and export statistics, I found that boxes travel farther and more frequently than people, using roads, railways, waterways, and even airplanes. By the end of this research, I felt compelled to tell the story of my boxes’ adventurous journeys.
The boxes I used had come from distant lands. The first box in this series arrived in the UK from Colombia, possibly manufactured in yet another country. I collected it from Tesco in November 2015 for my first house move; this year, it served me once again before becoming an artwork. The second box began its journey in Morocco, later becoming a banana box in Ecuador. From Ecuador, it traveled to Hungary, where I used it for moving and storage. Eight months later, as we left Hungary, the box joined me on my journey to the UK. After assisting in another house move, it, too, became part of this project.
These stories are similar to my own. I was born in Yemen, a distant land I left as a baby. I found my ‘content’ in Hungary, and now, here in the UK, I am sharing these experiences.


