As part of the Immersion program by the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, American photographer Raymond Meeks spent significant time in France during 2022. His work was focused in the South, near the Spanish border, and along the northern coast around Calais, both key passage points for asylum seekers heading toward the UK. Rather than focusing on the faces of these displaced people, Meeks chose to capture the remnants and signs of their journeys. His images depict items such as a shoe abandoned in the dirt, a rolled-up blanket on the ground, or a jacket hanging from a tree branch. He pays special attention to the harsh, transitory environments that migrants occupy: ditches, embankments, roadsides, riverbanks, wastelands, and other liminal spaces. Although rivers don’t always appear directly, their presence is strongly felt throughout his work, possibly symbolizing the flow of migration. Barriers—whether they be stony slopes, concrete barricades, tangled brambles, or barbed wire—are also prominent, subtly suggesting the daily struggles faced by refugees. The Bourgeois de Calais, immortalized by Auguste Rodin, also feature in the series, connecting the struggles of today with the devastating history of the Hundred Years’ War.The project is complemented by a text from American writer George Weld, whose sensitive and empathetic approach aligns with Meeks’ photography.