Shelter Installation in Stockholm to Symbolise the Plight of Refugees

A unique installation is placed in the cold waters surrounding Stockholm and is near the island of Skeppsholmen. Daniel Rybakken created the roof-shaped installation a Norwegian designer who graduated from the Oslo School of Architecture and the School of Arts & Crafts in Gothenburg, Sweden. Daniel Rybakken focuses on research on light and its subconscious effects on humans. Thanks to his work, he won the Red Dot "Best of the Best" Award in Singapore in 2007 and several other awards.

The Installation is Located in the Waters Near Skeppsholmen Island

This installation is in the form of a simple gable roof with a frame of six steel pieces plugged into the bottom of the ground so that it does not float. The roof itself is made of corrugated aluminum material eight meters long. The selection of this material is intended to be durable, not easy to corrosion, and resistant if exposed to water. The installation is powerful and not shaken by the water waves hitting the steel frame.

Details of Materials Used to Make the Installation

The uniqueness of this installation, when viewed at night, is decorated with lamps installed on the roof to illuminate the waters below. With the lights, the installation appears bright and stands out among the darkness of the night in the waters of Stockholm. The shelter installation is one of many installations created for Nobel Week Lights, a December festival featuring Stockholm filled with light installations to celebrate past Nobel Peace Prize winners.

Shelter Installation Illuminates the Dark Underwater

The project pays tribute to Norwegian explorer, scientist, and humanitarian Fridtjof Nansen, the first high commissioner who became the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The design of this installation symbolizes the suffering of refugees around the world. Refugees, according to the UNHCR are defined as persons who are caused by a well-founded fear of persecution, caused by reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in certain social groups and political parties, are outside the State of their nationality, and do not want protection from that State.

Quoted from Daniel Rybakken's interview with Dezeen, "The UNHCR's motto is to put a roof over the heads of people who are fleeing, and I wanted to create a contrast between the shelter of the roof and the coldness of the water, then combine it with this very bright light. It's about creating light in the darkest of times".

The Design Symbolises the Plight of Refugees