Party on the CAPS takes place in a world that has been reshaped by biotechnological progress and teleportation as a new mode of transportation. A crocodile called Fiona tells of life on the CAPS, an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where refugees and immigrants “illegally” crossing oceans and borders are held by the state. Over the course of three generations, what started as an internment camp on the island of CAPS would develop into a bustling, geographically-isolated megalopolis. Meriem Bennani’s video installation imagines the structures of (physical and psychological) displacement imposed on immigrants intercepted by the United States.
Meriem Bennani’s multimedia practice questions contemporary society and its fractured identities, gender issues, and ubiquitous dominance of digital technologies. Mixing the languages of reality TV, advertising, documentaries, phone footage, and high-end commercial aesthetics, she explores the potential of storytelling through magical realism and humor.
