Strangeland
An artistic endeavour delving into the meaning of ‘home’
What started as a research topic during my masters degree at Central Saint Martins, ‘Strangeland’ developed into a multidisciplinary artistic endeavor that allowed me to delve into issues surrounding identity, home and the complexities of migration specifically for the Cypriot community living in the UK.
I have always been drawn to the aesthetic of the ‘immigrant’ living room and initially began dissecting the living rooms of first generation migrants who arrived pre-1980. How do these settings become an extension of our identities, and how the past collective traumas of a certain community manifest within the home environment?
I have always been drawn to the aesthetic of the ‘immigrant’ living room and initially began dissecting the living rooms of first generation migrants who arrived pre-1980. How do these settings become an extension of our identities, and how the past collective traumas of a certain community manifest within the home environment?
What guides me throughout this learning process is referring back to my initial research question which is “To what extent are the traumas of an immigrant generation emulated within their identities, sense of belonging, and home environments. How can these valuable stories be translated in a meaningful way through a narrative environment to be appreciated by millennial descendants?”.
A globalised world implies that we can live anywhere. There is an oversimplification of the experience of someone moving from a country of origin to another country, for whatever reason whether it be political, economic or through war. Migration is a complex phenomenon for any human being, whether someone is forced to leave, or it is by choice I aspire to communicate the complexities of the struggle of leaving behind a home through the rebuilding of a new one, emotionally and physically.
Strangeland is looking into the broader nexus to which ‘home’ is an interpreted space that reflects our experiences from the world at large. What does this mean for refugee communities who have previously lost a home and cannot return? how is this reflected in their personally constructed space?
A globalised world implies that we can live anywhere. There is an oversimplification of the experience of someone moving from a country of origin to another country, for whatever reason whether it be political, economic or through war. Migration is a complex phenomenon for any human being, whether someone is forced to leave, or it is by choice I aspire to communicate the complexities of the struggle of leaving behind a home through the rebuilding of a new one, emotionally and physically.
Strangeland is looking into the broader nexus to which ‘home’ is an interpreted space that reflects our experiences from the world at large. What does this mean for refugee communities who have previously lost a home and cannot return? how is this reflected in their personally constructed space?
