Canadian Passport       

Government of Canada, 2020

Plastic and paper

12.4 x  8.6 cm

Personal collection

In the current situation, objects that fill our spaces matter because they add to the comfort of where someone might spend most of their time, in isolation. People tend to surround themselves with the things that mean the most to them, as physical movement is now heavily restricted in most areas and in some cases prohibited due to the pandemic of COVID-19. Most of the population is under government recommendation or ordered to stay home. Further, borders have been closed to all unessential traffic, and people who are returning home are being told to quarantine themselves for fourteen days in case of infection.

While being at home, I am able to reflect on the activities and objects that make me happy and my space comfortable. My passport is special to me not only as it identifies me as a Canadian citizen while I am abroad, but because the ability to travel is important to me. I have held a passport as long as I can remember, and some of my greatest memories were created while traveling. As a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world and economies, there are likely to be changes to the way people move around.

The #museumathome movement allows people to interact with institutions in a different way in this context, as in this virtual collection. A passport might be an unusual thing to find in a museum exhibit but many people have a passport in their possession whether they are frequent travellers or not, and at this moment they draw attention to the heightened importance and implications of both national identities and borders.

Sara Filipopoulos