home

The idea of home does not have to be a place or any particular space, home is a feeling, whether that feeling is one of love or ownership or belonging. It does not have to be an object. Home is an area, a feeling. An accumulation of memories and experiences, sights and smells which creates Yours. A structure that is only in the realm of You. From that sunken section of road you swooped your bike into on your way to school or the metal bollard you accidentally clipped in your car and sneaked away hoping nobody saw you. It’s still there, a part of your home story, and a part of many others as well. The actions we take cause larger ripples in our environment and are mirrored exponentially across the globe. In the way we move, live and interact with the world around us. 8

“We form our sense of ourselves and our affective attachment to particular places...by seeing and interpreting signs of difference. These signs of difference inform us of the boundaries of groups we encounter in everyday life...Practices of our ‘home’ culture take place within the boundaries of groups in the vernacular landscape of urban spaces. Our feelings for our social self and our places are constructed and maintained through repetition. This is why everyday life is so important for understanding the place-based nature of collective identity.” (Shoretell, T. 2016)

We must take into account those who will grow into the sites we leave behind for them; how will they interact, how will they make it function and how will they tell their stories.

In New York in the 1970s there was a movement for the preservation of old buildings and the old way of life, artists moved into the decrepit sites and looked to “art and music as a means of expressing their criticisms of society. They believed instead of trying to change the world outside the New Radicals should change what was inside of people’s heads. The way to do this through self-expression, not collective action. By detaching themselves a whole generation [lost] touch of the reality of that time…it was the mood of the era…revolution postponed indefinitely” (HyperNormalisation, 2016). One can draw parallels between the 1970s artists of New York with the present day situation. People are angry about the current issues of our day (Brexit, Trump being elected, Refugees etc.) and yet rather than taking action they endlessly discuss in circles about the ‘ideal world’ and do not do anything in which to help. The ‘New Radicals’ theory is somewhat flawed, however, one needs to begin with self-expression, such as DADAism in order to encourage others to take the next step to creative action, leading to movements such as Situationism and Craftivism being born.

Craftivism; a movement which was brought about by one woman realising that silence spoke louder than noise, and how respect and thought created more change than quick, violent outbursts: Slow activism (Corbett, S. 2016). The site specific nature of Craftivism resonates with those who uses the space as it shows a caring for the betterment of the area without limiting free will. It is a polite question rather than an angry mob of people marching through the streets shouting contradictive messages

Refugees Welcome March November 2016

Home is a contradistinctive force to very different people; home is static, home is movement through space, home is no-where.