LSF 50

The project aims to explore the discourse of all-inclusive resorts as standalone microcosms in politically unstable and insecure countries and specifically in Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey. We chose three comparable hotels and booked package holidays in order to examine the touristic “bubble” from the inside. Thesis: These walled and guarded spaces follow only the rules and principles of fun and relaxation. The holiday as an escape from everyday life functions, as an aestheticized world with strong symbolic values. The resorts are not site-specific, but shaped according to Western standards, with little or no reference to the surroundings, without history. These non-places were documented and actively observed as we participated in the dictated daily routines and rituals. A multimedia archive was produced, consisting of photos, videos and field-recordings. Do holiday enclaves still work in these challenging times? Does reality permeate the walls of resorts? How do resorts remember terror attacks? A cross media cartography containing scrambling at the buffet and empty beaches, pool maintenance and the introduction by the travel guide, boredom and excess.