A dialogue on art, philosophy and self irony

Jan. 2, 2023

Of Home: The Manifesto

The Lunatum Mag team explains why ‘Home’ became the magazine's first theme

Lunatum Mag is what we advertise as a ‘new edgy yet profound (and hopefully self-ironic) European digital magazine, at an intersection of visual art and philosophy’. Nice to meet you. Yet we decided that ‘Home’ would be the theme of our first issue. How come?

‘Home’ isn’t controversial at first glance. There’s no art, no protest, no movement, no dynamics. Home is where the heart is. Home is where you are surrounded by loved ones. Home is a place you can always return to. Home, in its frozen state under plastic snow, is consumed by its Hallmark’ish image.

But does 'home' even exist?

Is this picture true for those forced to flee because of war or dictatorship, finding themselves homeless? Is this true for someone who can’t afford to fulfill their basic needs and can’t compete with the reckless increase of prices? Is it true for someone who was abused as a child by their loved ones?

Being able to always come back home is a privilege. Being proud of where you come from is a privilege. Having good memories of home that match reality is a privilege. Home is a privilege. It is a place that you may have never had. Home is a reason for a person in therapy to talk about boundaries. For people in power, home is an excuse to attack and murder. For those who depend on them, home is a hopelessly unsafe place to hide before being eaten by greedy crocodiles of the regime.

Is Earth our home and will it be in the future? We are living on the verge of a climatic cataclysm that will probably soon leave most of us without that sugar coated picture from the postcard. Amusing ourselves with the hope of a sustainable future, we miss the whole picture: the real preservation is pricey, exclusive and unaffordable. This classy way is as far from an average person as Dorothy’s yellow brick road to her childhood dreams unless you expect the inequality to magically disappear and not become an abyss. Somewhere behind the fine line of the smoked horizon, there is exclusive wining and dining in perfect, sustainably powered lodges, and bragging of how the issues of global warming were tackled.

For the rest of humankind, a sustainable future of home is a staged authenticity in the middle of a vast pit previously known as a historical spot. A glass of what was potato peel a few distillations ago. A film on how lucky we are, played by some privileged honey, to a visitor's fulfillment. Social equity at its best.

As you can see, home is something to think about. The Lunatum Mag team knows that art is the greatest tool of reflection about such a complex subject. This is why it is the theme of our first digital issue. Follow our stories to participate in the discourse.