Greece entry-zones - The Route’s starting points
By Emma Beatrice Farina
In May 2025 I conducted field research in the city of Patras, Greece particularly in the port area. Last year I conducted exploratory fieldwork in Patras to identify sites of interest and make contacts with a local activist. My aim for this research period was to understand how migrants (re-)use previously abandoned areas, by documenting material traces and architectures inside abandoned makeshift camps.
During this fieldwork, I documented two abandoned makeshift camps. Through material culture analysis I mapped and dated different functional areas inside the camps, such as living quarters, bathrooms and kitchens. I further decided to focus on objects connected to the migratory journey, such as single-use water plastic bottles fashioned into re-usable flasks.
In makeshift camps migrants organise a wide variety of sleeping arrangements, including using tents or repurposing secluded spaces that offer more privacy. Of particular interest are the complex architectures that characterise these two makeshift camps. For example, as in the photo (above right), in one site several “rooms” were built on and amongst the beams in the rafters. These rooms were assembled using recycled materials including fabrics, wooden panels and doors. Not only do these living quarters indicate a considerable effort and knowledge, and possibly longer-term stays, they also demonstrate a total reconfiguration of space, for example through the creation of pathways to access the rooms.