Being There

Author:	Dr. Shima Rezaei Rashnoodi + Prof Dr. Marnix S. van Gisbergen
Mexico (Monterrey) and The Netherlands (Breda), 2019-2021
www.beingthere.place

Purpose	Activation	Interconnection	Collaborating
	Raise Awareness	Educate	Visualize Needs
	Simulate Impact of Decisions	Decision Making	Designing
Co-Creation	Co-Analysis	Co-Design	Co-Implementation
	Co-Maintenance	Co-Monitoring
Outcome	Decision Making	Knowledge	Assessment
	Design	Inclusion	Awareness
	Partnership

Mechanics	Alternative Reality	Role Play	Rule Based Play
	Location Based	Simulations	Mapping
	Geolocation	Hypothesis	Metagame
Tech&Tools	Analoge Tangibles	AR / VR	Audio Visual
	Data AI	Data Collection/Visualization	Digital Interface
	Mobile
Aesthetics	Sensation	Imagination	Assemblage
	Physical Activity / Construction	Realism

Scale	Metropolitan	City	District
	Neighbourhood	Street	Undefined
Audience	Community	Planning Expert	Audience Stakeholders
	Policy Makers
Scope	Individual	Small Group	Small Group
	Crowd	Pre-Defined

“Imagine a place filled with important stories that are hard to tell. A place that embodies the collective experience of refugee and migrant women during their temporary stay in Mexico. A place that although is open to the public, is being avoided and remains invisible. This limits possibilities to improve the temporary stay and the connection with the host community. But what if there was a means to experience these stories without the barrier of a physical presence? “

This project addresses the challenges on the growing number of refugee and migrant women (70% are women and children). We created and will create a Virtual Reality Museum using Unity, in which you stand in the shoes of migrant/refugee women and experience their stories/perceptions of home living temporarily in a settlement. The experience was built through participatory design approaches investigating the value of VR. The VR museum includes interactions revealing stories of migration and home and will be experienced in two ways: experiencing the current space (reflection of reality on how the center looks like) and, the ideal space: which reveals how the center can be improved receiving support (donations) from the community. Hence, we raise awareness and empathy about the importance (and feasibility) of transforming settlements from functional spaces into spaces that feel like home. Through this experience, we draw attention to the importance of emotional wellbeing of migrant/ refugee women by sharing their perceptions of home, using VR to engage them with the host community as active members