"I have lived in many houses, but only one is my little corner"

PalmaThese are times of emergency, when finding housing that we can afford is more difficult than ever, almost impossible. It's not just about having a roof over our heads to sleep under: housing has a dimension that goes much further, that is part of people's emotional experiences. There are houses that are homes, places of happiness, welcome, and refuge. Others are simply passing places, with a limited imprint on the personal stories of those who have spent time within those four walls. This is precisely what the project Homes explores, by the collective La forma dels somnis (formed by people from the Degree in Catalan Language and Literature at the UIB, the Mental Health area of the Hospital Comarcal d’Inca, and the association La Nostra Veu).

One of the project's activities – carried out thanks to the Agenda de Transició award from the UIB's Office of Cooperation – and which will include a book, was the workshop ‘Habitam’ which was shared by fourth-year students of the Degree in Catalan Language and Literature and older adults: all of them have shared stories of houses, photographs, made postcards, and exchanged experiences. A documentary about this experience will also be made. “Housing is an individual experience, but with a social dimension,” comments Mercè Picornell, professor in the Department of Catalan Philology and General Linguistics. One of the curiosities of the workshop has been to see how the idea of housing varies between young people and older adults: the size of the kitchen, the stairs, and the number of bathrooms have different functions depending on age. “I've also been surprised by the number of houses we go through in our lives. Now the problem is not so much about moving as about having a place to live,” she adds.

Experiences

The workshop meeting was held at the Encarnació Viñas library (in collaboration with Flipau amb Pere Garau). Among the twenty or so participants were Jaume (a student) and Valentín (a resident of the neighborhood), who together designed their ideal home. “I wanted a small kitchen and he wanted a big one. In the end, we decided to make two bachelor apartments with a common area to meet and a vegetable garden, which we agreed on. As life goes by, I will have a more approximate vision to his,” commented Jaume, adding that the first house he lived in was the one that marked him the most. “It was a small space, but I was happy there. When you get older, everything changes quickly,” he added.

In the photograph brought by Bel (Oliver), a 66-year-old woman from the neighborhood, four women are seen with a doll. They are all on a rooftop, and the doll is on a tricycle with a stool on the seat. “Things weren't such that you could buy tricycles every time you grew up,” she said with a smile. “I was very happy on that rooftop, I felt like the world would treat me well,” she continued. After living in other houses, Bel returned to the one from her childhood, with the rooftop that awaited her. “My husband died two months ago. He used to smoke on the rooftop, and now, when I go out there, I say to him, ‘if only you had stopped smoking...’” she recounted. However, despite bidding farewell to her husband, Bel continues to find peace on the rooftop. “I have pots there, I sit there and listen to the birds. Life, in the end, didn't treat me so well, because many loved ones have died in this house. But, even though I've lived in many others, only one, this one, is my home, my little corner of the world,” she concluded.

Carmen, 83, chose a photo of herself surrounded by her family. “This was the fourth house I lived in, but I sold it to come to Mallorca”, she pointed out, adding that she has arranged her belongings almost the same way as in the previous flat. “I am fond of them. And I always sit on the same end of the sofa in the dining room”, she added.

The emotions we feel for a house depend on who we share it with. In the case of Antonio, 74, a white cat named Caracol was crucial when he moved in with his parents to a house he has never considered his home. “He was my companion in life during my adolescence, he was with me at all times. He was white, deaf, a great survivor. He taught me a lot”, he recounted, and assured that the home of his life was a tenement house at 60 Amparo Street in Madrid.

“A house is not just four walls around you. But there are people who don't even have that”, commented Bel (Amer), 22, for her part, with the first photo she took as a newborn with her parents and siblings, on the sofa at her home. “They are my home, my favourite place in the world”.