Vivienne Lake & Sireena

Sireena, London

‘You can’t escape your problem when your problem is your home.’

Sireena and her son were renting privately until their property was repossessed from under them. Because of Sireena’s health, they had no choice but to make a homeless application to the council, and were placed in emergency accommodation. There, they lived together in a single room with an ensuite shower. They had no kitchen, no drinking water, and a cockroach infestation to deal with. Sireena had to clean their dishes in the shower.

Desperate to find an alternative, Sireena contacted Shelter, whose caseworkers arranged a suitability check and helped Sireena complain to the council. As a consequence, the council moved Sireena and her son into temporary accommodation. While bigger and better equipped, the flat was still far from ideal: within weeks, mould had destroyed their clothes and began to affect their health.

Thankfully, Sireena and Ethan have now moved into permanent social housing, from where Sireena has started to rebuild their lives without the anxiety of being in limbo. She sees their home as a sanctuary they’re happy to call their own. She’s started a course in politics at university, and is doing all she can to make sure Ethan can pursue his dream of achieving a PhD.

Maker’s notes

My choice to use copies of the Financial Times as the material for this hat came from speaking with Sireena about the way councils can treat people who are experiencing homelessness, and how policies leave people in impossible situations. These situations aren’t ‘bad luck’ – they’re political.

The techniques (cutting, twisting, weaving) were intentionally laborious to reflect the determination, patience and endurance Sireena proved as she fought to get herself and her son rehomed – a long and difficult process with many discouraging elements.

I chose to use a non-noble material (newspaper stolen from my neighbours’ recycling bins!) as having a home shouldn’t be a wild luxury, it’s a basic need, a universal need. Sireena also liked this choice of material, as she often has to make a lot happen on a small budget.

The stories written on every strand zigzag through the structure to come together (through hours and hours of labour) in a small contained bubble at the top.

Materials: Coated wire structure, woven PVA rolled newspaper strands