After discussing the project with my friends, I wanted to ensure that the posters were placed in spaces that would properly contextualise the topic they address, while also giving people the opportunity to actively engage with it. We realised that the most appropriate setting for presenting these posters would be Romanian shops and bakeries, so we organised a day trip to several areas with a strong presence of Romanian-owned businesses. Due to the tight deadline, we were not able to photograph every poster in its place, but the examples we documented are shown below.
This experience also gave me the opportunity to speak with shopkeepers, managers, and members of the Romanian community who were deeply proud of the businesses they had established in the UK. Many of the people who owned these shops were Romanian immigrants who had spent over twenty years building their lives in this country. They were particularly moved by the topic of my project and by the fact that it aimed both to commemorate and celebrate the sense of longing they continue to feel for home. Several people told me directly that they intended to respond to the question posed by the project themselves, or at the very least spend time reflecting on it.
I explained briefly how the website could be accessed through the QR code on the posters, and many of them said they would encourage their customers to interact with the project in the coming days. Although I was not entirely certain how much engagement the project would ultimately receive, what felt most meaningful to me was the opportunity to connect with members of my community in such a positive and personal way. It was also rewarding to provide a design piece that many of the shop owners considered genuinely meaningful. Several of them were excited to display the posters in their shops and expressed enthusiasm about both the concept and the project as a whole.
