20 x 25 cm, 130pp
comb binding, softcover & hand-sewn zine

In the 1960s when traveling by plane was still considered a luxury and commercial flights became accessible to the public, security in airports was as good as non-existent. To accommodate their passengers and facilitate a smooth journey, you could go through boarding and never must have shown your identification card or ticket, Bags were also not searched. America, because security was so lax, entered an all time high of planes that were hijacked. Between 1968 and 1972 more than 130 planes were hijacked, sometimes even as often as once a week, but investing in more security, metal detectors and X-ray machines was not an option for Airlines. They expected that it would have been more expensive than the hijacking of a plane. In the beginning the Hijackers wanted to use this chance to get access to Cuba, to relocate there. Later they realised they could ask for more, so the demands began to shift to gold bars, cigarettes and cash-filled suitcases. In the beginning the public was deeply fascinated with these Hijackers and their motives, but after time they became disillusioned and moved on to different conversation topics. 

The Golden Age of Hijacking, showcases and examines this forgotten era shaped by fear and imagination, as well as the ultimately unsuccessful strategies developed to prevent aircraft hijackings. Situating these events within a broader social context, many hijackers were disillusioned with the ideals of the ‘American Dream’ that had been instilled in them from an early age. This is depicted in various ways. Using different types of medium, such as images, information and fiction, it asks whether the world has changed at all, or it is just the circumstances that have changed. 

Emily Beckmann