Names::::social artwork

Names :::: social artwork

Refugees and immigrants in Denmark are being met with more and more resistance as their numbers grow. The workplace seems unwilling or unable to give them jobs. And as long as they remain on welfare and in job-training programs their self-worth stalls and the population turns more and more solidly against them. The media uses them as a tool for sensationalism::::characterizing them as Denmark's number one problem::::as the enemy. Politicians::::even the liberals, are calling for action. This hostility has recently earned Denmark the distinction of being the most racist land in Europe, according to EU studies.
Integration as a concept is very confused in the Danish language. Nowhere in their integration law is stated the refugee and immigrant's right to hold on to their own identity and culture. The simplistic idea put forth is that if they are given jobs, so are they well-integrated. But, as mentioned before, even this superficial integration is being thwarted.
This artwork deals with that first instant::::that first instant being the job application::::and the first instant of that being the applicant's name. We can easily imagine functionairies reading foreign sounding names and immediately rejecting the applications...
So, this artwork is designed to confront this dilemma. Also included in its design is a method for erasing the most powerful racist political voice in the land.

Imagine if the Jewish population prior to the outbreak of World War 2 had countered the threat of Adolph Hitler with a similar artwork?::::Had marched down en masse to their local goverment offices and ALL OF THEM officially changed their names to Adolph Hitler?

Outline:

1) Arrange for all refugees and immigrants living in Denmark to legally change their names::::every one of them changing to the same name: Pia Kjærsgaard (for men: Per Kjærsgaard).

2) A booklet and website describing step by step how one goes about legally changing their name, translated into 40 languages.

3) Why all the same name? It will signal a solidarity of all those in this situation. If they were to each choose a Danish name at random, the message would be that they were accommodating assimilation.

14/11-01 Maribo