Van for 54 Illegal Immigrants
360° video/animation
Duration: 00:02:13 (loop)
2017
This 360° video/animation experience reconstructs a tragic event that unfolded at 4:30 AM in February 2015 near Donje Krnjice, Serbia. A cargo van carrying 54 undocumented immigrants—originating from Bangladesh, Nigeria, Burma, Algeria, Ghana, Laos, Syria, and Kashmir—crashed, leaving 42 hospitalized and one fatally injured. The driver initially fled but was later apprehended after suffering a heart attack. Using a first-person perspective, this project immerses viewers inside the van, allowing them to experience the suffocating confinement, the murmurs of uncertainty, and the fleeting glimpses of the road ahead through a small window. The simulation culminates in the moment of disaster—flipping, rolling, the chaos of impact—forcing the viewer to confront the vulnerability and powerlessness that define so many migrant journeys. This approach extends beyond mere reenactment; it serves as a tool for empathy, placing participants in situations often reduced to statistics or distant news reports. By leveraging immersive technology, the project bridges the emotional gap between the audience and those who endure forced displacement, human smuggling, and the perilous realities of migration today. While some may question the ethics of simulating such traumatic experiences, this project does not seek to exploit suffering but to foster understanding. Rather than passively consuming stories of migration through media, viewers are confronted with the human cost of these journeys in an immediate and visceral way. The goal is not a spectacle but a deeper, more personal engagement with an issue that continues to shape lives worldwide. By stepping into this experience, viewers are not just witnesses—they momentarily inhabit the fear, uncertainty, and fragility of those whose survival hinges on forces beyond their control. This is not just a story from the past; it is a reality still unfolding today.