My main artistic practice is in participation and I initiated a conversation zone engaging people with what home means to them during the degree show exhiibition at Central Saint Martins, 19–24 June 2018.
It really surprised me to have someone sit down and say she was homeless for a long time in the 70s and 80s. Her father had died and her family torn apart, her brothers put to care, her mother miles away and her in a girls’ home. Eventually she ended up working in low paying odd jobs, rented beds in hostels, bedsits, all sorts of different housing in slum-like conditions. She said no one cared at that time in the 70s and 80s, they were just left on their own, she had to fend for herself, there was no support and her education stopped at 16 years old. She wanted to go to college and study music but didn’t have a mentor to guide her through. The low paying jobs made it difficult for her to save; the housing situation also meant she had to move very often and she had to pay moving fees as well as fork up two months’ rent in advance. What options were there for people to break out of the poverty cycle, really?
She said to let the younger generation be aware that life wasn’t easy for the older generation decades ago, especially for mixed race families; that equally in the past people struggled with the housing situation. The amount of money she had paid for rent thus far could have bought her a home but her financial situation didn’t allow it to happen. Even now with pension the retirement age has moved back to 66 years old yet most of her friends didn’t live past 60.
Her first holiday out of the country was at 38 years old. Her 20 years old neighbour have had more holidays in his 20 years of life than she has had in her near 40 years.
I have learned so much from each conversation and from people of various different backgrounds. There’s so much outside of our circle that we don’t see or hear. It's really a reminder to constantly reflect on our privileges and not take them for granted.
