Church of London

Huck 72

It feels as if our relationship with the idea of home is changing.

Across the world, nationalism finds itself dancing freely with far-right politics, while political divisions have chopped families right down the middle, transforming previously tight-knit units into warring factions.

At the same time, conflict and a climate emergency have seen millions of people displaced, forcing them to flee their place of birth and seek refuge elsewhere. Once they arrive, elsewhere isn’t always so welcoming.

In that sense, home is both a physical and imagined space: a state and place of belonging. How we find our way there is the great challenge of life; how we capture it is even harder.

For documentary photographers, the challenge is clear. How do you record something so fluid and subjective – so personal – in a way that resonates on a universal scale?

The answers, of course, vary – depending on who you ask. But one thing remains clear. Home, in all of its wildly different guises, has never been a richer subject to explore. In the seventh edition of our Documentary Photography Special, we celebrate some of the storytellers doing just that.

Search