MSR=HAAG SAEZ Virtual Travel Package

MSR = HAAG SAEZ (Minamisanriku = Hague Special Art Experiment Zone) is an ethereal territory conceived precisely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a world where intercontinental travel has been restricted (now with new reasons), a way to carry on and even go beyond the current paradigm of internationality is sought after.
In MSR=HAAG SAEZ, you are not simply in one place or another, but you are intermingling between two places.

Minamisanriku is a small town located in the North-east of Japan, traditionally known for its aquaculture. However, the place gained a sudden notoriety after the Great East Japan Earthquake with its extended area of land severely damaged by tsunamis. It has been 11 years since the catastrophe and now the place is known for its advanced environmental efforts. It is perhaps time to update the cross-border perception of the municipality.

By being connected to The Hague which has starkly different characteristics but remarkably with almost exactly the same land area, Minamisanriku can be reformed into MSR=HAAG SAEZ.

In 2021, two artists Aydee Derix and Piet Verkleij took up summer-autumn residencies in MSR=HAAG SAEZ to produce a new kind of travel experience.

It resulted in a PACKAGE (or a kit) with a QR CODE attached to it.

Minamisanriku AIR presents MSR = HAAG SAEZ Online Lodging/Virtual Travel Package.

The project was funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Photo: Florian Braakman