Playing home

2024

Glass objects

The work is based on a real-life situation that happened to me in the first six months after I arrived in the Netherlands and was still living in a refugee building. Children of 4-5 years old were playing with Lego, I became interested in what they were building with coloured bricks and we started a dialogue:

- What are you making? - I asked 4-5 year old boy.

- I'm building my home.

- What's that, a set of wheels? 

- Yes, so that I can go anywhere if I need to. 

- What a great house. What's that? Is that a fire? 

- It's a muzzle to defend against assailants, so no one can destroy my home.

The object is made of glass as an attempt to copy the shape of a recreated model of a toy house with wheels and a muzzle made of Lego.  It refers to the processes of how children live through the traumatic experience of losing one's home through war. 

Created with the support of the National Glass Museum in Leerdam. Thanks to Helene Besanconand and Gert Bullée.