Our Home.

What Does Home Mean To You?

“Our Home” was this year’s global theme for Refugee Week, held from June 17th to 23rd. Through my involvement with a local book festival, I had the honour of participating in Hello Derby: A Festival of Welcome, hosted by Derby Museums. At our stand, we posed a simple yet profound question to attendees: “What does home mean to you?” Using postcards as their canvas, residents, refugees, organisations, friends, and creatives from across Derbyshire poured their thoughts and emotions onto paper. Over 100 postcards were filled with heartfelt reflections, stories, drawings, and scribbles—each offering a unique and personal perspective on what “home” means.

I was inspired …

Fast forward to September, when I was invited to speak at Creative Mornings Derby, a monthly gathering that brings together a guest speaker to explore a different theme each month. September’s theme was Reflection, and I immediately knew I had to share some of those postcards. But this time, I wanted to try something different—a merging of my two worlds: my role with the book festival and my passion for sound art.

I invited the audience to write their own responses to “What does home mean to you?” on postcards, sparking meaningful conversations around the room. Together, we reflected. I then shared some of the postcards from Refugee Week, and we reflected again: Did these responses make us think about home differently? What about those for whom home isn’t a safe place? What about those who are still searching for home, or those who long for homes they’ve lost?

After these reflections, I invited anyone who felt moved to do so, to record their answers in their own voice. What you’ll hear now is a soundscape of voices from that very Creative Mornings session on September 20th, 2024.

These responses echo the diversity of Derby, but they also touch on something universal—a deep longing for belonging, safety, and connection. This soundscape offers a poignant glimpse into what home means to the individuals who attended that morning. It’s just a small sample of the many answers we’ve gathered, with over 100 more responses on postcards that we’ll be sharing across our Shared Reading groups in the coming months.

Through their words, we’re reminded that “home” is so much more than a physical place. It’s an experience shaped by identity, memory, and hope. As one young boy, whom I met at our Shared Reading stand in June, so beautifully put it: “Home is precious.”

Postcard and photograph created by Pictoria