LIVE. LAUGH. ROUGH: welcoming conversations about London homelessness with a set of doormats

London creative team Hang with Meda took familiar home decor phrases and adapted them to reflect real life for those living on the streets.

According to research published by Shelter England, one Londoner is forced into homelessness every 7.5 minutes. So, Hang with Meda, two London-based creatives, decided to do something.

Taking a doormat - a household staple item - they turned it into a symbol of the struggles faced by those without a home. With well-known, cliché, home decor quotes, each doormat bears a statement, from “Live. Laugh. Rough”, to “Rise & Survive” and “Street Dreams”. The doormats were placed around public parks, under the bridges, and at tube stations to signify the places some people have to call home. The stunt piqued some interest from passersby, leading to conversations with us about our motivation. We had a list of tweaked quotes, but these are our favourite three.

There is a lot of stigma around homeless people. It takes no effort to make an assumption, and if the assumption is not challenged, nothing will change. “The root causes for homelessness are complex and multifaceted, so it is a wishful dream to see the homeless problem in London solved in a day or two. But we hope these doormats will open more conversations and insights about homelessness in London. Not everyone living on the street is abusing drugs or being lazy. Some might be fighting a battle we have no idea of, some are trapped in a vicious circle and have no choice but to make literally any available corner or street a shelter”, Hang with Meda pointed out. 

The original idea was to carry cardboard alongside the Embankment, the 25-mile stretch in the London Marathon. But the duo soon realised it would be drowned out in the sea of funny, witty, sassy cardboards (hats off to Londoners’ creativity). After a few trials, the doormat made the cut. “A doormat is an item people step on without thinking, just like society often overlooks or tramples on the homeless. Also, there’s something unsettling about how such a welcoming item can become a symbol of exclusion”. The QR codes shown on the doormats lead to a published article about how London's homelessness is breaking its record every year.

As the London Marathon came to a close, the streets were once again filled with people returning to their daily lives. But for the homeless community, the race for survival never stops. Hang with Meda’s stunt serves as a reminder that while we celebrate those running for medals, we cannot look past those who are fighting for survival. “London, in no doubt, is the city of opportunities. And being creatives, we see the opportunities to create change to make London a (slightly) better city, one doormat at a time”.