Architecture Studio Fall 2022
On the basis that public pressure has an impact, this project seeks to take advantage of a vast
group of potential monitors, known as social media influencers, to record and broadcast to
shepherd the migrants’ journeys to protect innocent passage through the Mediterranean Sea. It
is based on a study of three groups in the mediterranean: influencers (those traveling for leisure
and/or for social media), the military (the agents of various countries), and refugees (fleeing from
climate crises or war in their homelands). Refugees often travel in over-occupied rafts and dingies,
with little to no protection against the elements or illegal governmental push backs they may face
on their journeys. This project uses the image culture of influencers as witnesses, creating media
visibility and monitoring for migrants’ crossing the sea. The project centers around a floating,
mobile lighthouse, acting as a beacon for the influencers and travelers. Surrounding the lighthouse
are a series of wave energy generators/breakwaters, which wrap around influencer boats. Each
waveline has a camera component capturing 360 live feed views of the boat, ideal for social
media influencers to broadcast and curate perfect views with uninterrupted backdrops. These
wavelines connect the central lighthouse, which acts as a party center, a beacon to the influencers,
and a data center for the cameras of the wavelines. As boats are constantly moving through the
mediterranean, a series of eight Flotilla Lighthouses serve as protection stations throughout the
Mediterranean Sea, using the technologies of media broadcasting and surveillance tracking to take
advantage of the privilege of the seen to protect the unseen.
On the basis that public pressure has an impact, this project seeks to take advantage of a vast
group of potential monitors, known as social media influencers, to record and broadcast to
shepherd the migrants’ journeys to protect innocent passage through the Mediterranean Sea. It
is based on a study of three groups in the mediterranean: influencers (those traveling for leisure
and/or for social media), the military (the agents of various countries), and refugees (fleeing from
climate crises or war in their homelands). Refugees often travel in over-occupied rafts and dingies,
with little to no protection against the elements or illegal governmental push backs they may face
on their journeys. This project uses the image culture of influencers as witnesses, creating media
visibility and monitoring for migrants’ crossing the sea. The project centers around a floating,
mobile lighthouse, acting as a beacon for the influencers and travelers. Surrounding the lighthouse
are a series of wave energy generators/breakwaters, which wrap around influencer boats. Each
waveline has a camera component capturing 360 live feed views of the boat, ideal for social
media influencers to broadcast and curate perfect views with uninterrupted backdrops. These
wavelines connect the central lighthouse, which acts as a party center, a beacon to the influencers,
and a data center for the cameras of the wavelines. As boats are constantly moving through the
mediterranean, a series of eight Flotilla Lighthouses serve as protection stations throughout the
Mediterranean Sea, using the technologies of media broadcasting and surveillance tracking to take
advantage of the privilege of the seen to protect the unseen.
