"The 'pflight' of the paper balloon. In the remote mountain regions of northern Taiwan where travel is difficult the villagers developed a elegant way of communicating with the members of their families that were spread out across the region. At festival times they would release hot air paper balloons into the evening sky which when high enough into the atmosphere would be seen by their neighbours confirming all was well. The idea of paper balloons being able to cross boundaries was the initial idea for the collaborative artists involved in Codex Event 4. The balloons made soon became a metaphor for the plight of refugees who also tried to cross boundaries to freedom. The balloons developed into deflated objects and finally took the form of a book which when opened takes the shape of a boat. The names for the "boats" were taken from the identified detention centres used by the Australian federal government to "deal" with the illegal immigrants." Tm Mosely

This book is featured in 'The Silent Scream; political and social comment in books by artists'. For more information see PUBLICATIONS.