Home, Sweet Home

A lot has been said about home; ‘it’s where the heart is’, ‘it’s a state of mind’, just to name a few. Beyond these clichés however, is truth. Sometimes we need simple phrases to stand in for our own complex feelings, which are often difficult to articulate. During the winter months of 2004 I set out to learn what home meant to people in the city of Rochester.

I photographed people in their living rooms. I was interested in how they chose to decorate their space, how they interacted with their things, and if their space helped shape their thoughts on home. I chose a wide variety of Rochestarians; renters and homeowners, older people and younger, families and single people. In the end I was surprised by the commonality of their answers and the simple truths they revealed.