Signs of Things to Come
A dystopian elaboration of President Trump’s stance on immigration
“Lot Reserved for: Future Internment Camp,” said signs posted at industrial sites, empty lots, and other spaces in multiple American cities in early March. “By order: Donald J. Trump. President United States of America/ Executive order 9066.”
The project, by the Los Angeles artist who calls himself Plastic Jesus, was a dystopian elaboration of Trump’s stance toward immigrants and Muslims, which includes hints during his campaign of a national Muslim registry(later denied), his controversial travel bans directed at citizens of some Muslim-majority nations, and the widespread Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that have followed his election.
As observers could learn by scanning the signs’ QR code, “Executive order 9066” is an allusion to the measure, signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, that resulted in the forcible “relocation” of about 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry to camps in 1942.
The signs appeared in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago (near the city’s Trump Tower), Washington, DC, Detroit, Miami, Boston, and a handful of other cities. Speaking to Hyperallergic, Plastic Jesus, a British citizen with a green card, said he is not certain how many of them are still up.
The artist has made the future internment camp sign available for download on his website.
You must be logged in to post a comment.