Week 5: Home
As the ceasefire (of sorts) begins, bringing a small light of peace for those living through the war in Palestine, the news has shared photos and videos of thousands embarking on the walk back to their homes in Gaza. Or to be realistic, to the land their homes once stood on.
When I sit in my home, safe, warm, with all my things I’ve collected over the years neatly arranged around me, I feel overwhelmed by sadness when I think of how I would feel if I was to return and find all of it was destroyed.
The resilience they have shown throughout the many years of the occupation, the constant struggle generations have had to live through is too hard to put into words. It reminds me of a presentation I once went to see, a story shared by two Palestinians as they shared the stories and photographs of their beautiful country.
They emphasised that home is more than just walls and a roof. It’s a connection to the land. A sense of belonging, it’s remembering the tracks and trails of your memories and the communities that built the life around you.
I wanted to use this week's prompt to remind me that ‘things’ don’t make a home. What is knocked down, can be rebuilt. If we put aside the image of house, what do you think of when you hear the word home?
Is it the scent of familiar spices in the kitchen, the laughter of loved ones, or the comforting silence of a personal sanctuary? Home can be a physical place, an emotional space, or even a dream of return and rebuilding.
I appreciate that here at Islamic Art Prints, we’re selling you art to hang up in your home. And I must also point out, that my own home is covered in paintings, prints and photographs. Creating spaces in my house where I am surrounded by inspirational art is incredibly important to me and brings me peace, joy, and always invokes memories.
But when I think of home, I think of my husband. My family and my beautiful cats too of course. Many people in Gaza are not only returning to rubble, but also returning without loved ones.
Creative moments don’t always need to inspire joy, sometimes we need creativity to help us navigate through sadness.
However you choose to interpret it, is entirely up to you.
Share your work with #52creatives and let’s reflect on the meaning of home together.
Want to know more? Looking to join the challenge? Start here: 52 weeks of inspiration
