Selected Works[]
Urban Nomad Shelter[]
Electroland’s (2004) Urban Nomad Shelter is a portable structure that serves as both an urban sanctuary for the homeless and a provocation for the rest of us to confront the homeless’ invisibility and marginalization. Winner of International Design (ID) magazine’s 2005 Concepts category, these neon-colored tent-like inflatable cocoons provide inexpensive shelter while also removing the veil of invisibility surrounding homelessness. As Electroland’s Cameraon McNall and Dameon Seeley (2005) explain: The Urban Nomad Shelter is designed to re-brand the homeless. We decided that our shelter had to be extremely cool, enough to attract significant attention and to make the cleanup crews hesitate before destroying them. “Homeless people: are invisible, but “Urban Nomads” are real people who can distinguish well-designed objects from trash. The shelter is designed to be inexpensive, portable, and transparent. Why transparent? In our research we found that invisibility is bad for Urban Nomands. When you are out of view of the police or other people, bad things happen to you.” (as cited in IDonline.com, 2005)