DATA ART
Know Your Wall
A video demonstrating the project.
I used a dataset to
visualize this "wall" that someone could see when looking at the world from her country. This
tool
should make
you become more aware of this wall.
The bricks vanish as you choose your country. This metaphor symbolizes your openess to the
world.
The less the
bricks the more you can travel. On the map the countries highlighted show the world as it exists
for
you. The
countries remaining countries would require a visa application. This song was
inspiring to the
cause.
This project was developed as a response to a few experiences while living in Madrid, Spain.
I
worked in a
multicultural team with people from over 8 countries. Even though we worked together, our
scope
of
travel and
employment were defined by our nationality.
For example: If a trip was planned to regions outside my area, I may not be able to go, as
it
would
require me
to go to the embassy and get a Visa (like for 'Morocco').
Or In my attempts to get a job around my interests, the form often gets disabled or I never
hear
back if I
select the "Would need a VISA to work" radio button.
Travelling may seem a fun ride, but there is always a fear of rejection to obtain
permissions. A
small personal
history for reference. My first travel to the Europe came after rejection of my VISA. We
were
travelling to
Vienna for a prestigious conference. We filled an application of about 100 pages following
guidelines of the
embassy. Invested 10 days from our schedule to travel to another city to apply for a VISA.
Our
visa
was
rejected.
Thankfully, The rejection was later revoked after a bit of drama. If that would not be the
case,
we
would lose
finances worth 50,000
INR/ 890 EUR, partly on a pay-later grant. Eventually, we did suffer a loss of about 400 EUR
as
our
flights
travelled via Turkey and their
was a mismatch between the Schengen and Turkish Visa dates. We had to book flights again at
the
airport. It is
tough for some people.
Recently, while applying for a student visa to come to Spain, it was even difficult.
Standing in
the
queue,
draining with sweat and being bitten by Delhi mosquitoes. Then being watched down by your
own
people
working for
another country. Thinking about "Stanford Prison Experiment".Then getting the VISA. I would
say,
its
a miracle.
These things made me question the idea that many companies and countries profess
about
"Equal
Opportunity".
__________ does not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), or any other basis protected by law.
I was annoyed and disheartened at such "cannot-explain-due-to-legal-reasons" responses and decided to probe my scope as an individual.The information presented here is indicative. The article may sound a bit negative but tries to present the current world scenario. If anyone feels hurt, it was not intended and I feel sorry for that.