The Refugee Project: Exhibiting Exile
Kelley Beaverford, the Assistant Professor of Interior Design at the University of Manitoba, is working with students of the Masters of Interior Design Studio One to create a three-dimensional exhibition experience to shed light on the global refugee crisis.
The project is being done in collaboration with photojournalist Bikem Ekberzade and the Winnipeg Refugee Education Network (WREN). Ms. Ekberzade's photography makes statements about the global community and has been exhibited in galleries across the US, Europe, and the Middle East, and has been seen in many publications.
In combining the disciplines of journalism, activism, and interior design, the exhibition explores issues of exile through space, light, colour, transparency, scale, materials, and their relationship to the human body. It is hoped visitors will experience an awareness of refugee issues and the role Canadians take in refugee assistance.
The intention of the exhibit is to encourage dialogue about refugees as well as provide an opportunity to obtain information from local organizations such as WREN, RESPECT, Amnesty International, and Welcome Place.