Purpose of [PLACE] 

Ideas of self-identity and perceived identity infiltrate my artistic practice heavily. The very process of creation and expression, through my artistic work, has fed into these ideas. Part of that researching and evaluating is place identity.   
Derived from the multiple ways in which ‘place’ functions to provide a sense of belonging, construct meaning, foster attachments and study change, in order for us to call a place a home. Place and identity are tied closely together like that of local and national identity. The two are needed as people come to identify with where they live, creating distinctive personal narratives that are held from the memories of those spaces and places that shape(d) us.

How must it feel then, traveling to a new place; with foreign surroundings, a mission to place familiar functions, provide a sense of belonging and understand the level and form of attachment and meanings associated with the places, to unravel their significance.

Interestingly our own reactions towards newcomers is closely linked to how we understand ourselves. Hospitality and supporting those in need can define who we are not just as individuals but as a community. It can be the very dimension which any community distinguishes itself positively from others.

My work investigates and reacts on how myself and others foster our own place narratives and looks to highlight the struggle faced by those discovering and creating symbolic importance's of ‘place’, as a repository for emotions and relationships, providing meaning and purpose. Asking, if ‘place’  functions to provide a sense of self identity, what might this look like?