Magazine

No. 32 - Winter 2023/2024

Home is where life is held. It is the womb, the room, the world where we make our mark. A space that we have breathed life into and where that same life lingers even after we have left. For this winter issue, we explore the definition of home – should such a thing exist – with the help of artists, writers, travellers and architects, who understand the value of a place to call one’s own. With boundaries that wax and wane, the home is often firmly anchored in familiar soil. For others, home is not demarcated by four walls but by the intimate understanding of a city’s moods and attributes. And for some, home exists within the borders of their own skin, the only constant in a fast-changing world. At its core, home is a space of comfort, connection, kinship and repose. Experience belonging in its every facet, guided by the ultimate homemaker, Bijoy Jain, founder of Studio Mumbai.
Together with architect and artist Bijoy Jain, guest curator of this issue, we’ll embark on an exploration of home – examining it both as a physical sanctuary and as a concept that extends to our connection with the wider world and the universe. Founding editor ­Nicole Ex had the privilege to spend a few days in Jain’s home and studio, situated in the bustling heart of Mumbai. Nestled in what once was a cotton factory, Studio Mumbai and its founder embrace a communal and interconnected way of living.
‘It is the mental environment that is your home, not the street or ­wherever one finds oneself.’ Chuka and Dubem Okonkwo, also known as The Islington Twins, did not plan to live outdoors in London – ‘with the sky as their roof and the ground as their floor, constantly at the mercy of the wind, rain, snow, or hot sun’ – but that is what they do, for most of their time. Exclusively for See All This, they share with us how they have turned the streets into their home. ‘There is never a dull moment outdoors.’

IN THIS ISSUE

~ Interview: a few days with Bijoy Jain
~ Make yourself a home: a look inside the most iconic interiors of the 20th century
~ Street: short story by Sharmistha Mohanty
~ A life outdoors, The Twins: ‘We’re not homeless. We’re temporarily outdoors’ en routines van een leven op straat
~ Home is a foreign place: living in exile
~ Seducted by the moon: exploring our long-term synchronicity with the moon
~ Travel diaries: Mumbai and the Himalayas
~ Artist's studios to visit
~ Book tips and shop