speaks only Vietnamese, so her son, who has a car dealership in the neighbourhood, translated and told stories from his and their lives. Tran Thi Hoa has 13 children. Ten of them were sent out to sea as boat people and all survived! The son was 12 years old when he was sent off. He talks about this and about how proud he is to have a daughter who is studying to be a doctor in Aarhus. His mother has open, expressive eyes - and says that she thanks God every day. The entire end wall of the villa is a Catholic altar with Christ, the Virgin Mary, candles and flowers, as well as a small memorial table for her late husband. I choose to portray the major part of her body in the shape of a boat, which, simultaneously, has the shape of a lap/womb with all the 13 children she has given birth to, so that she is also this boat’s protector and figurehead at the same time.