Society labels people along their main characteristics. But referring to people who fled their home country just as refugees makes us blind for the many qualities they represent. Industrial design student Killian Poolmans (TU Delft) wants to provide people with the tools to express their multi-faceted identity: Own Your Label.
Poolmans caused a surprise last week when during the final presentations of 17 student projects for the WDCD Refugee Challenge he took off his shirt and revealed a T-shirt with a several colourful labels printed on it. ‘We all have our label, but there is more,’ he said. ‘Own Your Label allows you to take pride in showing who you are. People see me as gay, but I added ‘designer’, ‘ginger’ and ‘idealist’ to express my full identity. The platform “Own Your Label” is a way to say: “Yes, I’m a refugee, and I’m so much more”. The platform puts a face to the label, and shows more depth to the character behind the label.’
Vision in Design
The student presentations closed of the elective course Vision in Product Design (ViP) by professor of Form Theory Paul Hekkert and assistant professor Nynke Tromp at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). The course trains designers in the ViP design method focussing on envisioning and designing the effect a product design will have on people. This time the WDCD Refugee Challenge was taken as ‘assignment’ to work on.
To close off the course, 17 students travelled to Amsterdam to present their projects at the offices of WDCD. The presentations displayed a great variety of proposals, from apps and platforms to help refugees to display their stories, skills, and desires, to a bicycle donation system, and a scheme to connect with locals through written letters.
Shopping together
Justus Kuijer devised Communikey, a scheme where refugees and local citizens get differently coloured keys that only in pairs give access to retailer’s promotions. Nadège Heyligar proposes that locals and refugees go shopping for groceries together to exchange knowledge of each other’s cultures. And the Atlas of Practicalities by Ricardo Mejia consists of a YouTube channel where refugees can upload micro-documentaries about all sorts of practicalities and curiosities of a host country.
Masako Kitazaki came up with Career Storytelling, an online video platform where refugee women who have realized careers in host countries talk about their experiences. The video messages boost women’s self esteem and serve other refugee women who lack role models as an example. ‘The storytelling platform makes women become aware of their career interests and gives them the belief their desires can become a reality,’ Kitazaki told.
Grow hope
Finally, a charming and poetic idea – My little hope –was presented by Youngsil Lee, who figures refugee children will grow a little confidence and hope in their new surroundings from growing a flower that is reminiscent of their home country. When the refugee family is granted asylum, they can replant the flower in a designated spot in a nearby botanical garden as a symbol for their new future rooted in the new country.
All proposals have been submitted to the Refugee Challenge and now are subject to the judgement of the expert committee establishing the shortlist. You can influence this selection too, by voting though the challenge platform for the project you think should reach the shortlist.