The benches

When people leave their home country, they take certain things with them.

In most cases, the belongings are reduced to a few pieces of luggage. The items carried vary depending on the specific reasons for travelling, current living conditions, the time available for preparation and personal preferences. Things are lost, exchanged or added along the way. Sometimes there is a long period of time between leaving and arriving and people linger at different stations or have to settle in during the transition. Here too, the meaning and function of objects change.

The things they carry with them reveal a lot about the people and their migration history. They are often charged with emotion, remind those affected of what they have experienced and establish a connection to places and between people — they maintain a link to home.

Most of us have never had to face such existential questions. What would the loss of possessions mean for your personal identity?

What would you never leave behind if you left your home?