Design tackles refugee crisis with innovative solutions

The What Design Can Do Refugee Challenge, launched in February 2016 by the Dutch platform What Design Can Do in partnership with UNHCR and the Ikea Foundation, invited bold design solutions for refugee needs. From over 600 proposals, five were selected and funded with €10,000 each. Examples include Makers Unite, which transforms life jackets into useful objects; Reframe Refugees, a site for migrants to sell photos to media; and The Welcome Card, a device for tracking asylum applications. Earlier initiatives like Reunite (2008) and TechRefugees (2014) paved the way. UNHCR also partnered with MIT Boston to develop self-help strategies for refugees. Enzo Mari's 1974 DIY furniture manual was revived by Berlin-based CUCULA Refugees Company for Crafts and Design. Cultural institutions have joined: the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale, curated by Alejandro Aravena, featured refugee-related projects from Germany and Austria; MoMA New York presented 'Insecurities: Tracing Displacement and Shelter' curated by Sean Anderson with Arièle Dionne-Krosnick.