Live

In Pictures

Gallery

Making a giant chessboard from refugee life jackets

For World Environment Day, Aegean University volunteers presented chessboard made of life jackets and academic papers.

The foam components of thousands of life jackets were used in the construction of the chess pieces for the Chessboard of the World art installation. The jackets were first cut into stripes to make the inner shell of the pieces. After the shape was formed it was coated with sawdust and glue to complete the shape. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
The foam components of thousands of life jackets were used in the construction of the chess pieces for the Chessboard of the World art installation. The jackets were first cut into stripes to make the inner shell of the pieces. After the shape was formed it was coated with sawdust and glue to complete the shape. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
By Dimitris Sideridis
7 Jun 2016

Lesbos Island, Greece – The Chessboard of the World is a giant outdoor art installation, created by artist Fereniki Tsamparli and realised by the University of the Aegean. The work attributes material and symbolic value to two key issues present in the everyday life at the university located on the Greek island of Lesbos: the unprecedented flow of refugees through the Greek coastline, and the constant flow of paper in academic pursuits.

The large chess pieces, some up to 1.2 metres high, are made from paper discarded by students, and life jackets discarded by refugees.

The pieces were sculpted by a determined group of volunteers who are members of the university community and the TEDxLesvos group. Hundreds of refugee life jackets were transported from the landfill by the Municipality of Mytilene, the capital of Lesbos island.

“Over the last year, the region has seen one of the greatest migrations of humankind. The personal drama encapsulated in each individual arriving has unfolded on the beaches across these islands and left behind, bearing silent witness to lives changed for ever, are the life jackets,” explains the university website.

The project was presented to the public on June 6 for World Environment Day.

READ MORE: Italy plans a cemetery for refugees drowned at sea

Upon completion of a chess figure, a layer of opaque material was used to coat the outer layer in order to stabilise the colour to be applied later. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Upon completion of a chess figure, a layer of opaque material was used to coat the outer layer in order to stabilise the colour to be applied later. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Advertisement
Volunteers then inspected the pieces, repairing imperfections left over from the construction process. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Volunteers then inspected the pieces, repairing imperfections left over from the construction process. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Once the pieces were completed, they were left to dry in order in preparation for the painting process. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Once the pieces were completed, they were left to dry in order in preparation for the painting process. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Large inflatable dinghies were collected from a landfill and moved to the courtyard of the University of the Aegean to be washed and cut in order to form the chessboard. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Large inflatable dinghies were collected from a landfill and moved to the courtyard of the University of the Aegean to be washed and cut in order to form the chessboard. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
The construction of the chessboard was a painstaking process. Apart from having to collect the rubber boats of black and grey colours, the volunteers performed meticulous measurements to ensure the accuracy of the cuts. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
The construction of the chessboard was a painstaking process. Apart from having to collect the rubber boats of black and grey colours, the volunteers performed meticulous measurements to ensure the accuracy of the cuts. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Many volunteers from the university as well as ordinary citizens offered endless hours of help to ensure the completion of the project by the deadline. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Many volunteers from the university as well as ordinary citizens offered endless hours of help to ensure the completion of the project by the deadline. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Advertisement
Volunteers worked to assemble the chess board. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Volunteers worked to assemble the chess board. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Letters and numbers cut from the rubber parts of the boats to be used on the chessboard. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Letters and numbers cut from the rubber parts of the boats to be used on the chessboard. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Painting and coating of the pieces required multiple stages of application. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Painting and coating of the pieces required multiple stages of application. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
The two colors chosen for the pieces have symbolic meaning. The orange symbolises the life jackets of those who succeeded in reaching the Greek shores with hopes for a new life, while the green symbolises environmental sensitivity and recycling. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
The two colors chosen for the pieces have symbolic meaning. The orange symbolises the life jackets of those who succeeded in reaching the Greek shores with hopes for a new life, while the green symbolises environmental sensitivity and recycling. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
The chess pieces were ready for their first game on June 6. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
The chess pieces were ready for their first game on June 6. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
The giant chessboard with all its pieces was moved to a nearby beach where many refugees had lost their lives. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
The giant chessboard with all its pieces was moved to a nearby beach where many refugees had lost their lives. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Orange and red life jackets where placed upon the chess pieces in a symbolic gesture. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Orange and red life jackets where placed upon the chess pieces in a symbolic gesture. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Fereniki Tsamparli, the artist who created the giant chessboard, wished to combine the drama of the refugee crisis and environmental awareness by recycling life jackets, rubber boats and paper. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
Fereniki Tsamparli, the artist who created the giant chessboard, wished to combine the drama of the refugee crisis and environmental awareness by recycling life jackets, rubber boats and paper. [Dimitris Sideridis/Al Jazeera]
More from Gallery

In Pictures: ‘Garden of Eden’ marshes threatened by sewage

Wastewater is discharged into the Iraqi marshes in the southern district of Chibayish. [Asaad Niazi/AFP]

Photos: Palestinians vow to save Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood

Israeli security forces detain a Palestinian amid ongoing confrontations as Palestinian families face eviction in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. [Ahmad Gharabli/AFP]

Photos: Refugee doctor chronicles Tigray’s pain as he treats it

Surgeon and doctor-turned-refugee, Dr. Tewodros Tefera, performs surgery on a man's severely infected toe inside the Sudanese Red Crescent clinic in Hamdayet, eastern Sudan, near the border with Ethiopia. [Nariman El-Mofty/AP Photo]

In Pictures: Deadly protests in Colombia

A man looks at a police station burned down during the protests against what demonstrators say was police brutality exerted in recent protests against President Ivan Duque's government's tax reform in Cali. [Juan Bautista/Reuters]
Most Read

Third COVID wave in India ‘inevitable’, warns top gov’t scientist

A woman cries during the cremation of her husband, who died from COVID-19, at a crematorium in New Delhi [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]

‘Monumental moment’: US backs COVID vaccine patent waivers

A medical worker prepares a dose of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 5 [Lim Huey Teng/Reuters]

India’s worst COVID record: Over 400,000 new cases, 3,980 deaths

Relatives grieve as they arrive for the cremation of their loved one who died due to coronavirus, at a crematorium in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh [Prakash Singh/AFP]

For the ruined, Turkey’s crypto crackdown comes too late

For many Turkish crypto investors, stronger regulatory oversight of crypto markets in the country came too late, leaving many at a loss as to where they can safely shield their savings [File: Murad Sezer/Reuters]