The photo project What Makes a Home shifts the focus from adversity and trauma to brief, intimate moments of joy, resilience, and creativity—moments where life can be about more than survival.
To tell these stories, Better Shelter commissioned three photographers—Björn Wallander, Ci Demi and Ali Haj Suleiman.
Over six months, they captured the complexities of displacement—grief and uncertainty—alongside moments of normalcy: cooking dinner while entertaining a toddler, the domestic struggles of a partner’s hobby that’s taken up a bit too much space at home, or the ingenuity and care in which someone finds ways to personalise and decorate their shelter, making it something to be proud of—small but meaningful acts of resilience.
Supported by the David and Mehra Rimer Foundation, PwC and the Consulate General of Sweden in New York, we exhibited the photos for the first time in September, parallel to the UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC. We were thrilled to see so many new and familiar faces.
This project has been made possible thanks to the people who opened their homes and shared their stories, along with the support of our partner organisations: CARE International in Türkiye, SEEDS in India, UNHCR in Brazil and Chad, and the Watan Foundation in Syria.
For a deeper look into the exhibition, check out the feature on Architectural Digest. The project website and Instagram also provide updates on upcoming locations and events.
But this is just the beginning! What Makes a Home will soon travel to new destinations, bringing these stories to even more communities.
