Who governs or makes the rules in international, globalized waters and what are the implications for seafarers and labor conditions?

In August 2016, Rebecca Moss was selected for the 23 Days at Sea artist residency program, run by Access Gallery in Vancouver. Traveling on the Hanjin Geneva container ship from Tokyo to Shanghai, Moss planned to cross the Pacific Ocean and arrive in Shanghai 23 days later. However, one week into the residency, the shipping company Hanjin was declared bankrupt, meaning that the individuals and cargo were stranded at sea on a ship which was unable to pay to get into any docks. Ports around the world barred the shipping company’s vessels from docking fearing that the bankrupt company will be unable to pay for port and service fees.

Moss, the only artist on board, two passengers and the crew of Geneva, dropped anchor 13 km from the coast of Japan, in international waters, and waited for over a fortnight for further instruction.

Maritime transport is still the backbone of international trade and the global economy, as over 90% of the world’s goods - including most of the things we consume, from gadgets, electronics and other appliances to fruit - are transported by sea. International Waters is a single channel video work made in response to being stuck at anchor and makes visible the largely unknown, but at the same time ubiquitous world of the global shipping industry. It is also a reminder of the harsh and often unfair working conditions for seafarers. Apart from Geneva, hundreds of other ships in the company’s fleet were also affected, with crew and cargo remaining stranded in the sea for a while.

Rebecca Moss through her work tells the absurd story of the bankruptcy from the perspective of the people on board the stationary ship full of goods and cargo but suddenly without a destination, and combines interviews and news reports from this time.