This Room

Wars in the Middle East and Africa have led to a huge influx of refugees into Europe. The displaced people are distributed across the countries of the EU, but the centers are often overburdened. Asylum seekers are regularly housed in schools, prisons, hospitals and campsites. Usually this accommodation is intended to be temporary, but people often spend months if not years there, waiting for a decision from the immigration authorities.

Poet and documentarian Pejk Malinovski brings the asylum center to life. The room in his VR installation is in Denmark, but it could be anywhere. You find yourself sitting on a bunk bed as one of the refugees. You hear stories of danger, lack of privacy and hopelessness. Slowly but surely, you’re overtaken by the claustrophobic feeling of being imprisoned and sidelined. Only memories and the endlessness of the nearby sea offer any relief.