Cut the Fence is an initiative to spread the idea of cutting down the fences in refugee politics.

The 657 meter fencing of the Swiss refugee camp and deportation center „Bässelergut“ was transformed into the same length of african damask fabric with a specially designed fence pattern.

Since February 2014 this banner of cloth, folded to meter layers on an euro pallet is on tour in Europe and Switzerland to be cut and sold by meters.
The sum of its fragments spread over people’s homes will form a collective art piece and a statement against politics permitting global circulation of merchandises but excluding migrants and refugees.

Everybody who cuts a piece contributes to the symbolic destruction of the fence.
- and to it‘s transformation into tablecloths, pillow covers, scarves, shirts....





Deportation Center Bässelergut
The “Bässlergut” compound near Basel, Switzerland is a perfect example for the staging of deter- rence in European migration politics. It combines the arrival camp for refugees with a deportation center, where people who were refused to stay in Switzerland are kept in prison expecting their deportation. So the very first thing refugees have to face at their arrival are the desperate cries out of a jail.




African Damask
African damask (french Bazin) is produced in Germany, Switzerland and Austria exclusively for sub- Saharan Africa, where traditional dresses are sewed from it.
The term damask derives from Damaskus and means special type of weave. It was invented in China 2000 years ago, wherefrom it came across the Islamic world to Europe.


Cut the Fence is cooperation with bblackboxx
bblackboxx is an antiracist art space in the neighborhood of the refugee camp and the deportation center “Bässlergut”. It is run by a collective of artists and activists and addresses refugees as well as local people.
bblackboxx will benefit from the money raised through “Cut the Fence“ for it’s upcoming activities.


more information - see Pdf