Now You See Me Moria

Moria is the largest refugee camp in Europe, situated on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Since its beginning in 2015, the living conditions in the camp have become inhumane, in part due to its extreme overpopulation. Moria was designed to accommodate 3000 people yet housed up 20,000 at its peak last summer. In September 2020 a fire destroyed the camp, forcing approximately 7000 people to relocate to a new camp. In the new camp better known as Moria 2, the conditions deteriorated dramatically and human rights are being violated on a daily basis. Journalists and photographers are not allowed to enter the new camp while NGO workers are instructed to not take pictures: the visibility of the camp in international media has thus been reduced to almost zero.

In January 2021 the collective launched a call to action to increase public awareness regarding Moria. Designers from around the globe were invited to create posters based on the photographs taken in the camps. The response was overwhelming: nearly 500 graphic designers responded to the Love for Moria call for human rights. The posters were made available through the Now You See Me Moria website, encouraging people to download and print them, to hang in their windows, on balconies, at schools, universities, cultural institutions, and in the streets. They were also used in demonstrations in front of governmental and EU buildings in major European cities on February 14, Valentine’s day.

The support for Now You See Me Moria has been growing ever since it was created. Yet, a continuous effort is crucial in order to make the EU acknowledge the reality of the camp and take action. In collaboration with Paradox , Now You See Me Moria developed an ‘action book’ as a means of hand in hand protest.

Printed in rotation offset on newspaper stock, the large format, robust book will be made available in two versions: bound and unbound. The book content doubles as an exhibition kit, encouraging individuals and organizations to create pop-up exhibitions in dedicated gallery spaces, in the streets or in schools. Featuring the 460 posters of the Love for Moria campaign, interspersed with 16 large size photographs by Amir, Qutaeba, Ali and Mustafa the action book offers a first hand, unmediated account documenting the conditions in the camp. It also demonstrates the scope and impact of the collectively initiated campaign.

‍