Extraterritorial Spaces
Fiona Hackett

‘Extraterritorial’ is the term used to describe the status enjoyed by diplomatic missions under international law. The term means that the diplomatic mission is considered part of the territory of its home country rather that being part of the host country and, as a result, is exempt from local law. The host country may not enter the representing country’s embassy without permission and, as such, is a part of another country within Ireland.  Within the context of these extraterritorial spaces, the images explore how culture influences and changes the space. These interior spaces become metaphors for social and cultural relations – the inter-relationship between the culture of the host country and the home country and the intra-relationships between different countries across the world. In these spaces of culture it becomes possible to consider the geo-politics of boundaries and borders, the development of globalization, how cultures define and mark identity, and ultimately how we make sense of and live in this world.

Fiona Hackett is a Dublin based photographer and researcher, who tutors part-time on the BA Photography programme at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dún Laoghaire.