In the third class of the semester we discussed the meaning of ‘home’. How home is both a place and an idea, how there are multiple ways meaning can be attached to a place, where habit and chosen lifestyle merge…
“Anywhere can be home depending on how well we dwell there” – Heidegger.
Building on this idea stated by Heidegger, we began to list the literal and metaphorical ideas that we attribute to the word ‘home’ :
- Home is made and remade through our own action – both inside and outside culture
- How losing one’s home can feel like losing one’s self
- When things go well our homes can grow with us, become an extension of us, comforts us and is a place that represent who we are
- Home as a building, state, country or land
The question I am curious about is, are people defined by the things around them or in relation to the things around them? How does the concept of home differ to your parents, friends or strangers? Is home merely an idea that provides comfort both mentally and physically or is it a necessary part of how we define out lives and our selves? In that outlook ‘home’ can become a philosophical ideal…
I’m always inclined to be a sentimental and nostalgic person; even, humorously, when I was a child and had nothing to be nostalgic about. As I grow older and experience more of life, particularly as most of my time has been spent in Melbourne, I’ve noticed how it has shaped and defined the type of person that I am. The people and the places have been uniquely instrumental in the way I view the world and I am extremely grateful for it. When I was younger the beauty of Melbourne was slightly marred by the troubles of adolescent life, yet the underlying feeling I had about this city was a happy one, free of worry and full of acceptance. As I make my way in the world as an adult and formulate my own opinions, my gratitude for the city grows and I cannot believe my luck to be living in Melbourne, and moreover in the little suburb of Coburg.
I’ve noticed changes in the places that were familiar to me. Milk bars are no more, and cafes are. Design is sleek, efficient and clean, gentrification is the main problem facing most suburbs surrounding the city. Does change we can see mean we lose home, or as change is inevitable, does it mean that home truly is just a something we feel… therefore begging the question, what does it mean to belong, to have a connection?
I hope to explore these ideas in my film.
