Daisy Forrest’s piece ‘My Hiraeth’ is about manifesting a space that is representative of the sacred and comforting metaphysical home that belongs in her mind, a place where she goes to find comfort and that resembles the warmth of her childhood home. The three key notions of this piece: homesickness, belonging and nostalgia bound together to fabricate something that is a true representation of herself, these key ideas are integrated together through the feeling of ‘Hiraeth’, the Welsh term for conveying a distinct feeling of missing something irretrievably lost.

The initial outer structure of the piece is heavily inspired by the structural context of Wendy Houses and the childlike feelings they emulate, inspired by floral motifs and playful patterns she has painted these designs onto the house to constitute the comfort and beauty of the everyday. The continual use of the colour blue throughout is reflective of her emotive expression and its importance within her work, she sees the colour as the perfect balance of subtle melancholy and harmonious comfort. Within the house she portrays the more delicate and therefore vulnerable attributes of her practice by using photography, words and multi-generational materials to instil a deeper sense of nostalgia and melancholy. Various other materials she has included consist of small pearls, ribbons and gold tin pendants made from repurposed tomato purée packaging. These elements inspire a more whimsical atmosphere to the piece that encourages a sense of childlike wonder. She hopes that this recreation of her personal space of comfort inspires others to reflect on their own feelings of nostalgia and belonging and encourages them to consider their ideas of ‘home’.