Rusted nail

This rusted nail was once part of the vessels used by migrants departing from the Tunisian coast to cross the Mediterranean Sea. In recent years, along certain stretches of the Tunisian shoreline, a particular kind of small boat has become widespread — flat, lightweight craft made from thin sheet metal, hastily assembled with metal plates, rough welds and simple nails like this one. Among those who attempt the crossing, they are often referred to as bare — “coffins” — a blunt name born from a clear-eyed understanding of the risk they represent.

These boats are built improvised, often in informal workshops or directly on the shore. The materials are cheap and easily sourced. Metal sheets are bent, layered and fastened together with nails or rivets. The result is a fragile structure, built to carry far more people than it could ever safely hold.

This nail held together one of the sheet metal joints along the side of the vessel. Its function was simple yet critical: to bind two thin pieces of metal that were under constant strain from the weight of the passengers and the battering of the waves. Out in the open sea, the structural integrity of a vessel like this depends on tiny elements—even a single piece of iron.