Jackdaws nesting in chimneys is a small scale issue. Relatable, because they might one day nest in your own chimney. Relatable, because I had a jackdaw's nest in my chimney.

The refugee crisis, on the other hand, is huge, complicated and not relatable. So why not use the first to bring attention to the second? To solve the bird-in-chimney issue, you need a birdhouse. An alternative to the chimney, a fake chimney. But chimneys can have a public function. They are on top of a roof and visible from far down the street. This makes them a good platform to communicate a statement with.

This birdhouse is a public declaration of support. Of helping the unwanted. Of the willingness to share warmth, and to boost and engage in publicdebate. To create openness, and take away fear. Because being afraid shuts the door to possibilities.

For this, it uses the most desperate part of the crisis. People risking their own life to travel to Europe, on a boat as fragile as a paper folded boat. Refugees enter Europe through the boat, just like the jackdaws enter the birdhouse through the boat. At night chimneys can act as a beacon. Like a lighthouse guiding a boat, this birdhouse draws attention. It sheds light on a problem, by glowing in the dark.