What makes a house a home?
How does this change if you can't leave?

Home-Maker is the result of two residencies which took place in the living rooms of seven housebound, older people in South Derbyshire and Tokyo. Jeanie Finlay spent time with each of the seven people, getting to know their histories, preoccupations and passions, creating video and panoramic portraits of them in their homes.

Home-Maker was presented as an interactive domestic installation as part of a UK tour, the portraits were projected as life-size digital environments recreated in typical Derbyshire and Tokyo living rooms.

The UK tour has ended. Home-Maker is now available to view online, previously only seen in galleries.
Navigating the rooms provokes questions on home, family, faith and solitude and allows an intimate insight into the lives of Florrie, Roy, Betty, Lilian, Aiko-san, Emi-san and Monji-san.

Interactive documentary, installation, web site, live events and publication
National Tour 2004 – 2006

Exhibition History

Hatton Gallery, Newcastle, UK (solo show)
Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham, UK
Aberdeen Art Gallery, UK
Folly, Lancaster, UK
The story of me and my town, Roppongi, Tokyo, Muse Company, Japan 2003
House Work, Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham, UK 2002
Exhibited at 15 North American and Asian venues as part of the Canon award winners tour

Winner of a Canon International Digital Creators Web award 2002
Finalist – Stuttgart Film Winter International New Media competition 2003

“This largely unprecedented, highly novel approach to portaiture brings up all kinds of touching details of life as it is lived between four walls, amid the dreadfully small collections of significant belongings, haunted by the enduring presence of lost loved ones.
The Guardian

”Much closer to the characters than a standard documentary would allow…warmly intimate, engaging and wistful”
Metro

”a new way of thinking about portraiture.”
Furtherfield

PUBLICATION
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EVALUATION
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VIEW HOME-MAKER