Initially, Flag drew its inspiration from a Warren Ellis article that envisioned a near-future US-Mexico border. In this scenario, the national demarcation was not a static structure of concrete and steel, but a wall of floating, hovering drones, a manifestation of semi-sentient technology.
This border serves as a perceptual lens, framing how the nationalist subject perceives the world outside. The all-seeing, artificial horizon line of the border wall is not merely a physical barrier but a cognitive one. This slit of a lens narrows the field of vision, filtering and shaping the perception of "wilderness” outside the gates. It reifies the idea that what lies beyond the border is an unknown, a wild and untamed space that poses a threat to the ordered, civilized, and technologically advanced world within.
The American flag serves as a portable, visible, and highly potent symbol of this same enclosure. Just as the border wall physically delineates a nation, the flag does so symbolically, marking territory and allegiance. It is a condensed symbol that represents the "imagined community" of the nation. When a flag is raised over a building, a military base, or a monument, it is an act of symbolic territorialization, claiming that space for the nation. It visually asserts the boundaries of the "we," uniting those who identify with its colors and design while simultaneously excluding those who do not. The flag serves as a visual rallying cry for the calcification of the inner linings, reinforcing the shared identity and values that define the nation-state from within, much like the border does from without.