Humanitarian, by Design? Le design au cœur de l’humanitaire explores the objects commonly used in humanitarian action – such as first-aid kits, tents, prostheses, maps and makeshift shelters – and asks what they reveal about the lives of those who rely on them. The exhibition examines how design – whether improvised, institutional or repurposed – shapes life in situations of crisis, displacement or extreme precarity. From hacked plastics to architectures of waiting, and from personal stories to crisis imagery, it sheds light on fragile and often invisible practices designed for purposes of endurance, resistance and hope.

The exhibition was developed through a collaboration between the Geneva Graduate Institute, HEAD – Genève, the University of Copenhagen, the EPFL EssentialTech Centre, and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum. It invites us to rethink humanitarian design from the perspective of those who live it – and to reflect on how humanitarian action concerns us all, here and now.

Curated by

Jonathan Luke Austin, Javier Fernández Contreras, Pascal Hufschmid, Anna Leander, Diane Samuel, Méloée Piaget, Elisa Rusca

Scientific coordination

The Geneva Graduate Institute (IHEID), HEAD – Genève (HES-SO) and the University of Copenhagen, with Grégoire Castella, Nora Doukkali, Damien Greder, Maevia Griffiths, Rachel Howell, Aida Navarro Redón, Silke Oldenburg, Lucas Perez Florentino and Emmanuel Viga.

Set design

Project manager: Javier Fernández Contreras
Coordination and design: Damien Greder
Architectural direction: Samuel Jaccard and Yony Santos