The project proposes an idea for a decentralized expo on environmental refugees, also known as climate refugees, who are forced to flee their homes due to environmental or climate-related reasons. The expo will be located in Sweden, Germany, Canada, and New Zealand, countries that are currently accepting refugees and making efforts to elevate their quotas.
The intervention will take place in obsolete stadiums, such as baseball, football, and rugby stadiums, for three main reasons: first, these stadiums are left to decay, offering ideal public spaces consistent with the context of a decentralized expo; second, some stadiums have been used as temporary accommodations for refugees, which relates to the exhibition's content; and third, showcasing the scale of temporary accommodations that refugees occupy will help visitors better understand the importance of the subject.
The main concept of the intervention is to use existing bleachers as lookout points onto the field by extending tunnels in the stadiums. These tunnels can be adapted to each stadium's placement and number, capturing different viewpoints on the field. Virtual curation devices will display 3D-mapped projections of environmental refugees' living conditions, allowing visitors to experience the challenges faced by climate refugees.
Additionally, a virtual experience will link different stadiums participating in the expo, and forums will bring people from different cities together to discuss the shared content curated in the exhibition and projected on the field. The exhibition journey will visualize data on climate refugees, displaying actual temporary camps, projections of how stadiums can integrate temporary shelters, and future possible integration of accommodations for refugees into the city.
The aim of the expo is to inform the public about the growing issue of climate refugees and raise awareness of the challenges they face. By presenting this subject in a different way, the exhibition hopes to foster solutions for welcoming climatic refugees and create a platform for discussions and actions related to this pressing global concern.