A Home from Home

“Can you miss a home you’ve never lived in?”
“What things make a home for you?”
“How do you make a home in a new place?”

These were the starting questions for a community project inspired by the work of photographer Dennis Morris.

In 1974, as a teenager and already Bob Marley’s UK tour photographer, Morris stumbled upon Southall while on a bus journey. Captivated by its people and energy, he returned many times over the next three years. In 1999, he published his images in the book Southall – a Home from Home, co-authored with writer Satinder Kaur Chohan.

Fifty years later, in 2024, I led a series of ten creative workshops with local students and community groups including:

• Southall Black Sisters

• Hounslow Disability Network

• West London Queer Project (WLQP)

• Trinjan (South Asian Women’s group)

• Himawari (Japanese Dance Collective)

• Mael Gael (elderly social group)

• Phulkari (Punjabi Women’s group)

• Young Curators

• Hounslow Adult Learning Centre

Together we explored Dennis’ photographs, the history of migration in Southall, and what “home” means today.

My role as artist and facilitator was to guide participants through a process of self-reflection: beginning with flow writing, moving into discussion and poetry, and then connecting these ideas to photography. Participants first experimented with Canon DSLRs, using them to visually sketch and explore their ideas. Finally, I photographed their portraits using my own professional camera and studio lighting. At each stage, participants were reminded of elements from their writing and discussions, allowing their portraits to reflect deeply personal stories of belonging.

The final works were displayed outdoors in Southall Park from July to August 2024 as ‘Figuring Out Home’. This marked the first public exhibition of Dennis Morris’ Southall photographs since they were taken more than 50 years ago. The project also formed part of a QR code walking tour across Southall, linking past and present through image, memory, and lived experience.