The Embassy for a Disappearing State is positioned within the context of Tuvalu’s submergence of its physical land and its current transition to Tuvalu’s metaverse. It proposes an architectural framework wherein Tuvalu’s digital nation emerges in the face of the imminent threat of its physical disappearance. By advocating for embassies in host countries where Tuvalu’s diasporas are present, this project aims to reclaim physical lands and restore presence and sovereignty through a redefined concept of embassies. This project challenges the conventional function of an embassy, aiming to maintain physical land while aligning with emerging conversations around the concept of a virtual territory to preserve Tuvalu’s sovereignty.
The embassy serves as a physical location for climate activists to gather, advocate, and gain support for Tuvalu. It acts as a place to experience Tuvalu’s cultural heritage, including fatale dance, Tuvaluan cuisine, and the relationship with water bodies, both physically and digitally through the ever-changing metaverse. The journey for visitors unfolds through a series of choreographed physical and digital interactions and interfaces. Visitors can enter into the metaverse through different physical installations designed to respond to different body positions, and have an immersive experience of canoeing on water by wearing AR glasses. In addition, the embassy also includes a series of spaces for engaging in fully physical activities, such as gathering, dancing, singing and eating. In addition, visitors can experience the changing level of the tides by sitting on the steps and having discussions about the future of Tuvalu and that of other territories facing disappearance. Finally, the server towel, where the servers supporting the metaverse are cooled by tide water, reminds of the inevitable interconnection between the digital and the physical space.
