Residencies
A Plate Is a Homeland
Luna Issa began a residency with Alchemy Film & Arts in November 2025.
The project resulted in the publication of A Plate Is A Homeland, a Scottish-Iraqi cookbook of new writing and recipes.
Encompassing curation, cooking and collaboration, A Plate Is A Homeland centres around an exploration of what it means for diasporic cultures to adapt to a Scottish context through food.
The project stemmed from Luna’s experience as an Iraqi-Scot with an interest in cooking as a way to celebrate and preserve heritage and culture, and also considers ways in which ‘new cultures’ are created through adapting traditional recipes.
Buy the book now.
Book Details
Format Paperback
Price £25.00
ISBN 978-1-9162295-6-3
Size 168mm x 240mm
Pages 128 pages
Published May 2026
Editors Rachael Disbury, Michael Pattison
Designer Saffa Khan
Photography Sarah Ferguson, Clair Irwin
Contributors Mary Sarsam, Sara Ahmed, Phil Juma, Anthony Khoury, Parveen’s
Design: Saffa Khan
Luna Issa
Luna Issa is an Iraqi-Scottish artworker. Her work is centred around a passion for Iraqi and SWANA art and culture, and spans cooking, curation and production. She is invested in community-building, both local and diasporic.
Luna runs SUMAG, an Iraqi-inspired food project, is a seasonal chef at Woodlands Community Development Trust and is 1/4 of WSHWSH, a community-centred SWANA club night and events collective.
Photos: Luna Issa, Milo Clenshaw, Sanne Gault