Visualizing loss and agency with the families of missing migrants of the Mediterranean: Design and scale in action research

Abstract

In the migrant journey across the Mediterranean Sea, thousands have perished and many more have gone missing. Behind every missing migrant is a community awaiting closure and demanding answers. This paper draws from a US- and Tunisia-based Participatory Action Research project of visual-digital storytelling to suggest how visual and spatial questions may inform and contribute to action and social justice work, aiming to scale down the Mediterranean Sea to the personal. We highlight conceptual and procedural facets of our work, including an exhibition and an online platform, to illustrate the triple concerns of visuality, spatiality and social justice.