CREATING A HOME FROM A SHELTER

At first glance, the refugee camp near Azraq, Jordan, with its countless rows of plain white tents seems like any other refugee camp. It is inhabited by Syrian refugees who fled the war that broke out in their home country in 2011 and were forced to leave everything behind. In the camp the refugees have access to the bare minimum to survive. Only objects with which you can eat, drink or you can sleep on are provided. All other things are seen as non-essential and are missing for that reason. Therefore, cultural and educational activities in the camp are non-existent which has caused an emptiness in the refugees’ existence.

The surroundings are thus constantly reminding the refugees of the fact that they are living in a place that is not home. In order to keep their own traditions alive and to give identity to their living place the inhabitants tried to create things with the limited resources they have. This concerns structures or objects inspired by, for instance, the architectural traditions belonging to the place of origin of the refugees, or interventions which are just meant to give a personal touch to their shelter. The refugees are consequently making a noise against what is labeled as essential in humanitarian design.

For example, between the tents there is an earth sculpture referring to the architecture of the Citadel of Aleppo. It is a structure made of clay and stones from the surrounding desert. For the camp inhabitants it has become a landmark and a social space. Additionally, fountains have been made from plastic containers, which are connected to Arab homes and commonly found in Syrian courtyards. These can be found throughout the whole camp in miniature format. There have also been created outdoor Majils. These are traditional seating areas from Arab culture often meant to welcome guests. In the refugee camp the columns and fencing are richly decorated with geometric patterns, shapes, and colorful garlands. The Majils are also used as meeting places.

As a result of the creations made by the residents of the Azraq camp, the MIT Future Heritage Lab collaborated with Syrians who were forced to flee their homes due to the war. Together they established a project which could be seen at the Biennale of Venice in 2021. It was called ‘Displaced Empire’ and it was an extensively decorated tent of excess textile, which is made completely by hand. The exterior consists of banners which show scenes from the Azraq refugee camp and the ingenious inventions of the inhabitants. The ambition of the project is to show the gap between standardized humanitarian architecture and the meaningful interventions which gives the residents identity.

The creations of the camp residents demonstrate what man is capable of when he finds himself in appalling conditions. They show the real ability of people to adapt and the necessity of the idea of a home. Unfortunately, wars will still exist in the future and there will also be other causes which force people to become refugees. It is expected that more and more people will be forced to leave their homes. Climate change will affect even more countries, regardless of how prosperous they are. It is therefore of great importance to see the difference between an emergency shelter with the absolute minimum for survival and a livable place where you can lead an existence where culture can be expressed. This is also a mission for the world’s architects and other creatives to look for solutions. //

Sources

Aksamija, A., Majzoub, R., & Philippou, M. (2021). Design to Live: Everyday Inventions from a Refugee Camp (Bilingual). The MIT Press. Azra Akšamija | Two Projects at 2021 Venice Biennale – Art, Culture, and Technology (ACT). (n.d.). https://act.mit.edu/2021/06/azra-aksamija-twoprojects-at-2021-venice-biennale/ Rainbow, G. (2021, October 18). ‘Existing is an act of resistance’: the Syrian refugees creating design from displacement. The Guardian. https://www. theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/oct/18/syrian-refugees-venicearchitecture-biennale