Berliners and their apartments continue to serve as an inspiration to numerous projects, including this recent photography series portraying Berliners through their windows in times of Corona. But now more than ever, we especially need projects that aim to connect people. That’s the goal of Nomads at home – an online network for quarantined Berliners which collects their various definitions of home.
Nomads at home is a project created by the architect Zuzanna Kotecka. It’s an online space for quarantined Berliners to showcase their idea of home and connect with others, with the aim to establish ”a network of people that support each other, personally and professionally.” Each entry on the website features a particular Berliner, along with their photo, job description, country of origin and an answer to the question ”What does home mean to you?”.
Although the name of the project sounds a little bit like an oxymoron, Zuzanna explains how it makes sense according to her concept of a modern-day nomad: ”For me, a nomad is not only a person who constantly travels. For me being a nomad is more a mindset or a lifestyle, especially that we are able to travel the world without getting out of our apartments. You can also be an urban nomad who is constantly exploring new things within a city. Or a person who has an international lifestyle, is curious about the world and loves to constantly discover unknown topics. So for me being a nomad is not necessarily connected to the actual mobility.”
A quick scroll through the growing gallery already demonstrates what we love and probably miss the most right now – Berlin’s diversity. For this post, we’ve chosen just some of their unique definitions of ”home”, but you can head to the project’s website to read them all. And don’t be shy to get featured yourself!
Marko
”Home, for me, is the condition of possibilities that allows me to represent all kinds of subjective dimensions within a space: power relations, intimacy, (semi-)public encounters, imagination, memory, attention, desires, understanding.” – Marko, art student
Gina
” ‘Home is where the heart is’ sounds kinda cheesy, but I really can feel ‘at home’ in many places depending upon how I organize ‘my’ space, the energy, and the creation of a sense of stability. Right now my home is my actual home in Kreuzberg, Berlin. What do I need to feel at home here? Plants help big time. A clean bathtub (with candles) where I can relax at the end of the day. A kitchen that has some special bits and bobs so that I know I can cook nourishing food. A few of my little knick-knacks and some sage or palo santo. Objects that remind me of home are hand-me-downs from my grandmother, for example, and little gifts from friends, photos, some stuff I’ve made….” – Gina, jewelry designer
Ivis
”In general home for me is a place, where I can feel safe, comfortable, where I can relax without being disturbed. It’s also a place, where I set up the rules.” – Ivis, student
Klara
”To me, home is a place in my heart. A warm feeling of trust, security, and love. To an extend, I believe that I can take home with me. I truly feel at home when my husband is with me and when I have enough space for myself to just be. When it comes to places, I feel a sense of home in both Germany and England, where I have lived for a while. Most at home I feel in southern Germany, in the small town where I spent my teenage years.” – Klara, coach, and designer
Zuzanna
”For me home is a place, which I created myself by memories and experiences. It is a place that reflects my personality, interests and preferences. And most importantly a place where I can truly be myself and dance weirdly to the music and without being judged.” – Zuzanna, architect
Ioana
”Home is a place where I can rest, recharge and enjoy. At home, I love to spend time with myself and connect my creativity with things I love doing, for home is where the heart is.” – Ioana, visual artist
Jan
”Home is an extension of my very being.” – Jan, 3D Artist
Mihaela
”For me, home is more than a place. Home is a feeling. A feeling of safeness, intimate familiar space, freedom, and environment for expressing creativity. Since I was a kid I’ve always had a special bond with my home. Every time I’ve left for a summer camp or a long journey I’ve always missed my home. I remember missing the smell, smell that I only rediscover when I came back after a long time. […]
Home is like a magic place. A tiny, personal, fairytale world. It is almost like an entity that we create.” – Mihaela, jewelry designer
