DOORS following EXIT WEST by Mohsim Hamid

For this unit on Migration students began by reading Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West. The text helped individuals grapple with the question, “Should borders exist?” The book explores a reality where migration doesn’t involve a journey, and instead, anyone could simply walk through a door and be in another country. Mohsin Hamid tells the story of two characters- Saeed and Nadia- who meet and fall in love as their country breaks out in a civil war. After discovering that magic doors are popping up throughout their city that could transport them to a different country, the couple decide to leave their home and forge a new life together in an unknown place. (UC Berkley News)

After finishing the book, students were asked to create a door of their own that focused on the idea of duality and that was inspired by a specific passage. The works included in this show represents the diverse range of visual responses to this prompt.

(Clicking on images opens in slide show)