InLevendeLijven

InLevendeLijven

Refugee monument, competition entry September 2016

About: At the time of the refugee crisis in 2015 the municipality of Amersfoort was doing maintenance on a monument that was a gift from Belgium to the Netherlands for receiving over 1.2 million Belgian refugees during the first World War from 1914-1918. They decided to combine the renovations with a competition to design an addition to the existing monument that would more clearly commemorate what actually went down with the Belgian refugees of the great war.

Furthermore the addition could get a wider meaning and be a monument for any war around the world and the inevitable fleeing masses of people looking for safe havens in their neighboring countries.

Background // Inspiration People on the run

Sadly the history of mankind knows many great wars. The reasons behind them are different but all of them have one thing in common: ‘Refugees’. People that don’t have or want anything to do with the conflict and are looking for safety with their neighbors.

Masses of people, often in the millions, are undertaking a lot of risk traveling mostly by foot to escape the horrors around their homes.

Nowadays the problem is that these people are not experiencing the hospitality they should be entitled to when it comes to their neighbors. The receiving countries around the EU are somehow more reluctant to take in refugees now.

“Belgenmonument” Amersfoort, The Netherlands

Concept // P

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We believe that the solution lies in making the problem visible and tangible for everyone. Make people see, hear and feel the scale of the atrocities around the world. Only by putting yourself in the shoes of someone else you are capable to empathize and help those in need.

First we felt obliged to visualize the massive refugee influxes by placing an overwhelming amount of objects randomly in the woods around the existing monument. It is in the central garden of this monument where these objects come together and grow in size.

This symbolizes the refugees finding each other and their loved ones in safety.

Concept // Design Expression of the object

Simple angled straight lines finished with an arc in the top create a silhouette that resembles a human in an abstract way.

Its not necessarily about the silhouette but about the space that it creates within.

Therefore it is constructed out of steel plates to create the thinnest elevation possible.

The steel plates are electrochemically colored to create a shiny but blurred reflection in which visitors can vaguely recognize themselves as they come closer.

Endless different sizes and configurations can represent adults, teenagers or even small children.

// Design

Telling their story STORY OF: Scan Code

Name: Profession: From: Refugee since: Taken in:

Antoin Mertens Carpenter Brussels, Belgium 1915 Amsterdam

War in Brussels Verhaal over Antoin en zijn interessante levenVerhaal over Antoin en zijn interes sante levenVerhaal over Antoin en zijn interessante levenVerhaal over Antoin en zijn interessante levenVerhaal over Antoin en zijn interessante levenVerhaal over Antoin en zijn interessante levenVerhaal over Antoin en zijn interessante levenVer haal over Antoin en zijn interessante lev

Verhaal over Antoin en zijn interessante levenVerhaal over Antoin en zijn interes sante levenVerhaal over Antoin en zijn interessante levenVerhaal over Antoin en zijn interessante levenVerhaal over Antoin en zijn interessante levenVerhaal over Antoin en zijn interessante levenVerhaal over Antoin en zijn interessante levenVer haal over Antoin en zijn interessante lev

To be able to truly sympathize with another human being you have to know his or her story.

Which unfortunate situation has led them to leave everything behind? What did they run into along the way?

And what will their future look like?

Every single refugee has their own story to tell. And every single object placed around the monument will be linked to one of them.

// Design

Changing perspective The amount of objects is used to impose and impress the visitor about the scale of things, but every single object will tell its own unique story. Not just the tragic stories but also the successful ones where people have safely returned to their original homes after the conflict ended.

Therefore the monument becomes more than just a place to reminisce about the war and its refugees. It’s a place where stories are told. And a well told story can change someone’s perspective.

This is exactly what we need when it comes to debates about refugees: “The right perspective”