Refugee crisis in the Mediterranean sea

Refugee Crisis in the Mediterranean Sea 

No one is above another, No one is illegal

Longing for

Peace,

Safety,

Normality,

And life

Away from the bombs

And the bullets

She fled

She was a refugee

Introduction:

The Global Refugee Crisis: A conspiracy of neglect explores the startling suffering of millions of refugees, from Lebanon to Kenya, the Andaman Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and calls for a radical change in the way the world deals with refugees.

There are now 82 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, among them nearly 26.4 million refugees, around half of whom are under 18, more than at any time in modern history. These are people who have fled extreme dangers, whether to escape relentless bombing, an invading army, gang violence, or other life-threatening circumstances.   (https://www.unhcr.org/figures-at-a-glance.html)

Over the past few years, news coverage regarding the Mediterranean refugee crisis hasn’t been as prevalent. However, refugee crises around the world continue to be a major concern. The international community, and in particular wealthy nations, are failing to meaningfully share the responsibility for protecting people who have fled their homes in search of safety. In other words, they are failing to agree on and support a fair and predictable system for protecting people forced to leave everything behind because of violence and persecution.

Universal approach towards Mediterranean refugees:

The current rhetoric of a “refugee crisis” underscores, in reality, a lack of political will to protect refugees. This is reflected by the closing of borders, the securitization of migration and the criminalization of migration and of migrants, presented through the logic of “national security”. States are not rejecting human rights outright, in favor of “national security”. Instead, they adopt a logic of “human rights but”. They acknowledge human rights, but prioritize other concerns such as national security and economic protection.

This creates a huge gap between the protection needs of refugees, and what states are willing to provide. This is the crux of the real crisis for refugees.

This approach by states contributes to further human rights violations, such as migrants’ deaths and increased risks during their journeys, coyotes, smugglers and traffickers, unaccompanied or separated children migrating alone, and disappearances of children once they have reached “safe territories”. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/11/the-refugee-crisis-or-a-crisis-for-refugees/

Current death and missing rate:

According to the US migrant agency, 4,470 migrants died along migration routes worldwide in 2021, exceeding the 4,236 deaths registered in 2020.

Missing Migrants Project tracks incidents involving migrants, including refugees and asylum-seekers, who have died or gone missing in the process of migration.

 

Cause of death:

The many excruciating ways refugees lose their lives are insufferable and cannot be explained in words. Most of these bodies never make it to their families or even to a grave.

In this world of lost humanity, refugees seek shelter to those who welcome them.

The world is currently witnessing the highest level of displacement on record. A history of injustice must be acknowledged, and mass atrocities and abuse must be recognized and remembered. Public commemoration plays a significant role in prompting Worldwide awareness.

Design thought process:

Tangible reminder for the Intangible 

The video, Look Beyond Borders, is based on a theory that four minutes of uninterrupted eye contact increases intimacy. Amnesty International Poland and Polish ad agency DDB & Tribal applied the theory, developed by psychologist Arthur Aron in 1997, to the refugee crisis, sitting refugees from Syria and Somalia opposite people from Belgium, Italy, Germany, Poland and the UK, with overwhelmingly positive results. It was filmed by Amnesty International Poland in Berlin in April 2016.

Reflection is an uncanny truth that leaves the viewer thinking, may it be through a mirror, space, self-awareness, or someone's eyes. The idea of awareness through self-realization is a step-to-step process that curates a mindful journey.

Public memorials are preserved for the future by carrying the past to the present in order to “remind” or “reflect” the history and prevent changing historical facts and events.

Experiential memory space, which is connected to their environment and can be included in peoples’ daily lives, has the potential to positively affect social memory and urban identity.

Refugees throughout the world struggle each day to survive, but every person holds on to faith, hope, and in the end peace. Peace reflects through the eyes, closed or open.

The idea of the opposing forces: unimaginable horror and unlimited compassion, from light to darkness and from darkness to light. Thematically, it also explores immeasurable loss and emptiness through a void in the landscape expressing the absence is present.

Concept:

“The idea is to create a tribute to the courage of those who hoped for a safer future.”

A symbolic yet experiential representation of the dreadful escape route that a refugee opts for through the Mediterranean Sea in hope of shelter.

Every year thousands of refugees get displaced or loose their lives in the Mediterranean Sea, unidentified or grieved upon they are buried just to be never remembered.

Design Approach: 

Every refugee has its own escape story and journey but hope is one common aspect that keeps them going.

To portray the emotional end journey of a Mediterranean refugee, one must analyze the stages of deprivation, hope, and sorrow. The journey breaks into stages of

• Oppression
• Dreadfulness
• Uncertainty
• Deceive

Development:

 

An oppressive enclosed opening that leads you to a grand welcoming opening into the depths of the Mediterranean Sea. 

Final Model: