Letter from Emiliie

At home with Emilie.

Emilie’s pictures weren’t shot in her own home, but in her good friend’s home who housed her at a turbulent time in her life.

After breaking up with my boyfriend, I had to find a new permanent home, which took longer than I thought it would. 14 months to be exact. The last 4 of these, I was practically without a home. It was a very turbulent period of my life, but I was lucky to have multiple people who welcomed me into their homes, so I could finish my degree in Copenhagen. With my family living on Bornholm (an island in Denmark) I was dependent on friends and relatives to house me.

While feeling privileged, there was still something so draining about not being able to take up the space I’d been used to. Couch-surfing and living out of a suitcase was an adventure in many ways, but if it had lasted much longer, I would’ve gone mad. This nomadic experience gave me a sense of rootlessness, but it wasn’t all bad, it also taught me to feel at home almost anywhere.

It’s the little things that make me feel at home now, like putting up my little Moroccan mirror, hanging my jewellery somewhere, watering the plants and taking care of the things in the house I’m staying in. But most of all, it’s a core feeling that has built up within me, as I’ve learned to feel at home by just being in my own skin.