Tension Between Returning “Home” and the Tourist Experience
Questions of identity and ethnic belonging are often part of the migrant experience. They are closely connected to ideas of cultural affiliation, patriotism, and, above all, the question: "Where do I belong?"
This project draws on my personal experience and explores the relationship between family memory, tradition, and the idea of home. The object functions as a system through which liquid flows, carrying memories, information, and questions related to intergenerational experience and cultural integration.
The work is inspired by memories of visiting family in Bulgaria and the setting of traditional family lunches. It references these experiences through a retro table covered with a white tablecloth, inspired by the traditional Bulgarian crocheted centerpiece “Мильо на една кука” [Milijo na edna kuka], which has been passed down through generations in my family as a carrier of cultural identity.
For me, this textile embodies a tension between the feeling of returning “home” and an experience that can sometimes resemble a tourist's visit to a familiar place. Bringing this heirloom to life is therefore not an attempt to return to my roots, but rather a way of reflecting on how traditions change and acquire new meanings within an environment shaped by multiple cultural influences and the presence of technology.
