Midsemster visit home; what I found

I went home (to my parent's house in WhataWhata) over the Easter weekend and it helped me realise why I have such a placement issue. The house hold (and the people in it) are such a muddle of cultures and everyone just goes with it. I went around the house with my mother and found things from the different places that represented the different cultures and our family histories. It was so helpful and I feel like it was such a break through for my art practice.

Here are the objects I found but left at home:

Bible: a bible (Dutch) from my Dad’s side of the family passed down from generation to generation since 1869. It documents the change in the spelling of out surname from ‘de Bruijn’ to ‘de Bruyn’ in 1924 by a man with the same name as my grandfather. Names are passed down within the family on that side. My dad has 2 second names – his two Grandfather’s names ‘Casper’ and ‘Cornelis’

Set up: this is the set up at my house where a lot of family momentos can be found. For example, the photo is of my great grandfather

Table setting: I took photos of my families everyday table set up because it has a South African table cloth, New Zealand placemats and Holland coasters. Our lives are such a cultural mix we don’t even realise it.

Tins: These are from Holland and I remember playing with them as a child but now they are treated like souvenirs

Dolls: These are from Holland

Delft Blue (Dutch: Delfts blauw): blue and white pottery made in and around Delft in the Netherlands

Setup: At home the dolls, Delfts Blauw and my art work (Afrikaans poem apologising for lack of knowledge) from last year are all together.

Top bookcase: There are 3 ostrich egg shell art works made in South Africa that we brought over next to a pottery fern artwork that was given to us by a Maori family friend when we got our citizenship.

Man of metal: made in South Africa and brought over

A mother’s day gift I made for my mom: beaded elephants, as well as a statue my dad got from his mother the last time he visited South Africa

Stone heads: from South Africa – made of Marble. We had so many wooden ones as well but weren’t allowed to bring them.

Flight of life: a beaded art project I made in year 10 or 11 in New Zealand. Idea of rebirth.

Mugs from Holland – not used but on display with some wooden tulips (popular flower in Holland)

My sister’s keys: have a New Zealand Kiwi key chain on them. She probably is the only one who identifies as a kiwi.

Spoons with beaded detail: souvenir from South Africa

Clock from Holland

Clock from South Africa

Set from my mother’s side of the family (British)

The cooker in the background (green) is Dutch and the egg cups and spoon set is from South Africa.

Painting of a Holland scene x2

Wooden clogs and a bucket from Holland

Painting from/of South Africa

Books in a row: British (Royal family), South Africa Kruger National Park and New Zealand. My family mixes cultures without realising/worrying about it. The differences are accepted.