ASPECTS
health, human-rights, mapping, migration, space
TEAM
Lorenz Bohlmann, Yuni Byun, Katja Ulbrich, Luka Vonderau, Johanna Wendel
PARTNERS
YEAR
2022-23
ABTRACT
Thousands of people attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea by boat each year to seek asylum or to migrate to Europe. Since 2014, 25.413 migrants were reported missing in the Mediterranean. (Missing Migrants Projects) The Non-Government-Organisation Sea-Watch is conducting search and rescue missions (SAR) in the Med Sea, having rescued 45,000 people since their first mission in 2015. (Sea-Watch) On their missions, the crew is challenged with the physical and psychological state of the guests. Many of the passengers on board experienced severe violence and suffer from different kinds of injuries. Taking care of the guests with limited resources and limited space on board poses several challenges. Avoiding knowledge hierarchies, which can be caused by language barriers and the resulting inaccessibility to information, and communicating clearly and consistently is one of them.Sea-Watch asked Studiengruppe-Informationsdesign to help them develop a de-escalative design concept for their new SAR ship Sea-Watch 5.PROJECT
Our cooperation's main focus was gathering tools and research to support the guest care department of the Sea-Watch 5. The idea of de-escalative design led us to several potential improvements, that would prevent or soften tensions between guests to make their passage less exhausting. To increase comfort and well-being on board we proposed thicker mats which would help make the space feel more welcoming, considering color and material which had to be durable and easy to clean, resisting wear, long sun exposure, and salt water.For better orientation on board, we developed a moderation kit to support the daily updates by the crew. We designed the daily schedule and a series of pictograms to communicate shipboard regulations and identify specific areas, such as the safe space for particularly vulnerable people, the tea station, and the hospital room.We came up with playful elements on board to help the time pass more quickly. We considered games not provoking strong emotions through winning or losing to ensure a calm atmosphere. Also, playful elements can be used alone or as a group activity and support creativity and fulfillment.Since atlases and maps are enjoyable and powerful tools for the guests to share stories, think about their journey, and even dream about possible destinations and hopeful futures, we created a geographically correct map as well as narrative, playful maps which could enable storytelling.These are some of the topics we researched and experimented with visually. We shared our results, possible designs, and ideas with Sea-Watch and are excited about a continuing cooperation.
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