A Home in not a House – Talk at The Royal Academy of Art

“Join us to discuss how the concept of home and domesticity is becoming disconnected from the traditional understanding of a house.”

https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/event/a-home-is-not-a-house#

Speakers: Robert Mull – Head of the School of Architecture and Design at the University of Brighton; curator of multiple shows on the Calais Jungle Mike Seal – Reader in Critical Pedagogy, Newman University, Birmingham; editor of Understanding and Responding to Homeless Experiences, Identities and Cultures Helen Taylor – writer, researcher and lecturer on refugees and migration; author of Refugees and the Meaning of Home: Cypriot Narratives of Loss, Longing and Daily Life in London Victor Buchli (chair) – Professor of Material Culture, UCL; author of An Archaeology of the Immaterial; editor of Home Cultures

An interesting talk, however it lacked the depth and conflict I was hoping for. In terms of academic content, there was nothing that I thought was particularly ground breaking or intensely relevant to my research. I was also disappointed at the lack of diversity of the panel when so many of the topics of debate were centred around poverty, migration, civil unrest and informality.

When talks like this are in such places of prestige, such as the Royal Academy of Arts, issues surrounding race, western intervention and power balances have to be discussed. I questioned the speakers on the role of western intervention in conditions of informality and 'how far the architect goes', What is the role of the architect in conditions which have raised spontaneously, organically and work? Is there a requirement of formalisation? Is it a built environment process? Such rich conversation could be had. I think context is everything, especially with regards to lectures such as these which take place in a predominantly white, middle class setting.

Mull’s eventual response was that we should admit that carrying out such projects is to fulfil a selfish desire. This was a deeply disappointing response and makes the entire thing seem rather colonial. “White, western developers go to spontaneous, vernacular developments in the global south or areas of deep poverty and obtain information and artefacts…”

I must constantly challenge myself at every point of my research. Why am I taking this picture? Why am I recording this? What does this lead to? It is very easy for research to look beautiful, and to capture some of the most interesting goings on in the western world, however it must have purpose.

P.S Please don't get me wrong, I love the Royal Academy of Art! They have an incredible youth and outreach programme for state school students and have supported me for many years!