We asked our intern Marian Williams to complete one of the activities in our Teaching Resource packet created for the Dis/placements: Revisitations of Home virtual project. Marian chose this prompt: “Describe and Draw It: Think about your home, your neighborhood, and your community. If you drew everything that came to your head, what would you be drawing right now?” Check out the Teaching Resource packet and the other activities by clicking here!
Home for me is international, broad, and familiar. To then try to describe and draw it was an extremely fun task. On the far left is the home I grew up in, 香港 or Hong Kong. The building represents the sprawling urban jungle and towering skyscrapers. The boat is a symbol of Hong Kong history and its transformation from a fishing village to a major metropolis. Finally, the yellow umbrella symbolises the Hong Kong community and their collective political and societal struggles dating back to 2014. On the far left is my home away from home. The palmetto trees and College of Charleston flag are a distillation of the neighbourhood I live in now, and the house itself a symbol of the friends and family I’ve met during college. Finally, in the middle, 台北 (Taipei), is where my family recently moved to and where I spent most of this year.
This activity encourages self-reflection and conscious analysis of what home, neighbourhood, and community mean to you. It brings you closer to the Dis/placements exhibition by putting you in the shoes of the artists and giving you a creative platform to explore the abstract concept of home.
Why don’t you try the activity yourself?