Home is where the heart is; my heart is wherever I am at the moment

Home is where the heart is;
my heart is wherever I am at the moment
John Delante

Home is where the heart is;
my heart is wherever I am at the moment
John Delante

In between the photographs taken, the places wandered, the people spoken to and made memories with, there is a sense of
home. Home is not a single and contained place of shelter; it is a torch of warmth and with soul. Home is not only where one was born; it
grows likewise – through and in deep. It transcends fixtures, handles, and light wherein it is not just the base where one roams and returns.
Home is the fluttering heartbeats of the photographs.
Home is where the heart is; my heart is wherever I am at the moment reveals the vibrant and enlivening atmosphere of the places
I’ve wandered, the hugs, tears and smiles of the people I’ve spoken to and made memories with. The project explores identity, defining
home and the immigrant experience from Cebu, Philippines to Toronto, Canada. Photographs range from Google Earth screenshot,
scanned objects to making a response to old images. Some archives collected through family and friends I’ve spent time with, dating from
1998 to the present.
No matter where I’ve gone, I will always carry home – lessons and experiences encompassed.
Some people call it home, but I call it ‘us.’

Where everything started here;
Luyang, Carmen, Cebu, Philippines,
6005, Region 7
1

2

Shared fond memories with you; laughing, crying, and having fun
3

4

Island to island, with the whispering sea in between,
I always find a part of me.
5

Lake Ontario carries a sense of familiarity; those
early memories with family waking up early to watch
the sun rise by the beach.
6

Family functions with mom and older brother, 2001
7

Mom getting her second degree in nursing after
engineering while having me.
8

Mom and I went into the same high school, though I was good at Science
like her but my heart was already set for photography.
9

At the age of 22 from September 2020,
three months after my birthday
10

Delante, baby boy
6/13/98 at 4:54 PM
11

Endless conversations,
Endless stares,
Hope you’re doing well there above
12

13
Neverending -
Ends of the earth
Bond among friends

14

15

16

17

Ajax, Ontario, Canada, 2020
Sogod, Cebu, Philippines, 2020
18

From Cebu to Toronto, home is wherever I go.
19

Appendices
Acknowledgement
Thank you, family, for the never-ending support.
I like to express my gratitude to my friends Marck Capuno, Shine Bontia, Trina Rivera, and
Shannia Dorog for helping me completing this book project. Thank you for letting me use some
of your work.
Sincerest condolences to the Sencio family, who bereaved and tragically lost their son, our
beloved friend, from an unexpected illness.
1. Rural hometown: Luyang, Carmen, Cebu, Philippines, 6005 from Google Earth
2. Passport photo in 2009 (left), Philippine passport from 2010 to 2016 (right)
3. A photo of Seigfred and I hugging while we slept on top of his commencement photo in 2018
4. Friends in Tulang Diot, San Francisco, Camotes Island, Cebu, 2021
5. San Fransisco, Camotes Island, Cebu, 2018
6. View from Ajax by the lake, 2020
7. Family photo with mom and older brother, 2001
8. Graduation photo of mom, early 2000s
9. Report card and ID, 2011-2015
10. Self-portrait, at age 22, September 2020
11. Newborn birth bracelet, June 13, 1998
12. With Seigfred, 2015-2018
13. Falls somewhere around in Luzon in 2021 (left), friends in Sogod, Cebu in 2018 (right)
14. Self-portrait in 2021 (left), Canadian Passport 2018-present (right)
15. “Home is where the heart is, and my heart is wherever I am at the moment” , 2018-2021
16. Multiple postcard photos of Greenwood Consevatory, 2020
17. Mom at the age of 53, December 2020
18. Sogod, Cebu, Philippines in 2020 (left), Ajax, Ontario, Canada in 2020 (right)
19. Self-portrait around March 2021

Home is where the heart is; my heart is wherever I am at the moment
Copyright © 2021 by John Delante
All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in
part, in any form, without written permission from the owner.
Printed in Toronto, Ontario
First edition, 2021
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