Home

Even for those who have a place to return to, home can feel increasingly fragile. Political instability, war, displacement, border control and social exclusion have made belonging uncertain. The question is no longer only where we live, but whether we are allowed to feel secure, rooted and recognised.

Home is often imagined as a private refuge, separate from the violence and disorder of the outside world. Yet this work considers home as something constantly shaped by that world. It can offer rest and intimacy, but it can also carry exhaustion, fear and pressure. To make a home, and to keep it, requires labour: emotional, financial, physical and social. The exhibition brought photography, installation and live performance into one room.

The rooms were furnished with second-hand furniture provided by COPE Galway, an Irish charity working with people facing homelessness, with the exhibition raising funds for their work in return. A feature documentary about the project is currently in production.