Making A Home: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Domestic Interior
7 – 8 May 2015
University of Sussex, Brighton

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Flora Dennis, Senior Lecturer, Art History, University of Sussex
Email: Michele Robinson and Emma Doubt

MakingAHome2015@gmail.com

“I believe that one can never leave home. I believe that one carries the shadows, the dreams, the fears and the dragons of home under one’s skin, at the extreme corners of one’s eyes and possibly in the gristle of the earlobe.”
-Maya Angelou

The late Maya Angelou once wrote, “The ache for home lives in all of us.” This nostalgia for “home” – be it a physical space or geographical place, a moment in time, a person / people, or a state of mind – continues to be of central interest to artists, writers, and thinkers. Crossing lines between the private and public spheres, and extending into important explorations of nationhood and belonging, different areas of research into the home seek to expand our understanding of how physical space has been used, transformed, and conceptualized throughout history. Some aspects of this pursuit include less-tangible features: Interactions between people, objects and spaces; the complex process of memory-making; the role of sentiment; and creating a sense of belonging can transform a dwelling into a home. In turn, these interactions have the power to transform the individual and the home, and to shape a sense of identity, whether as an individual, family, or nation.