THE STORY

BEYOND BORDERS – Six Degrees of Separation

1 camera – 54 destinations – 5 continents.

Against the nationalism and polarization of our times, the Cologne based artist
Ela Mergels launched 2015 her project BEYOND BORDERS.

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Her analogue camera travels around the world, always with a friend to a local. This person has the task to take pictures of what ist important to him / her in life. When the camera returns, the film is rewound and inserted a second time for the next trip. That's how two strangers tell a new story together by using double exposures.
The project is about the principle of "Six Degrees of Separation"

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BEYOND BORDERS exists between art installation, fashion project and social dialogue. Exhibition formats combine photography, garments and spatial elements into immersive environments. Visitors are invited to reflect on borders, belonging and collective responsibility.

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10 % of the profits go to Médecins Sans Frontières

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© by Ela Mergels, 2014-2026