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Open Thread: What makes a place feel like home?
Is it security? People? Privacy?
AN ESTIMATED 1.6 billion people live in inadequate housing. A fact made so visually clear this week with the millions left homeless in Nepal by the devatsating earthquake.
As part of the Home\Sick exhibition in Dublin’ Science Gallery, global housing charity Habitat have supported this artwork by Sineád Cullen.
Called ‘Home. Heart. Hope’, the piece aims to demonstrate the fragility of individual dwellings and the importance of community.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Cullen explained the thinking behind it:
“The idea of little small homes came to mind and the idea about home literally being the heart. So the piece is a whole series of little houses that are hung together.”
Vinnie Cunningham, executive director of Habitat in Ireland, said that part of what they’re doing is asking people what makes them feel at home.
“Very rarely do you hear bricks and mortar,” he says. “It’s about family, it’s about the sense of belonging, it’s about security and warmth. So I don’t think there’s a fixed time or a place for that.”
Cullen agrees, saying where you call home can change based on how you feel:
I’ve travelled a lot, and on a very personal level, when I come to a new city it’s when I find a place where I can actually feel secure. Where I feel like I’m not going to be interrupted, yes it’s privacy, and a sense of security is hugely important.
But what do you think? What makes a place feel like home to you? When you move to a new city, when do you call it home? Can you have more than one home? Is it about the place or the people?
Tell us what you think in the comments.
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