The sense of the commonality of strangers had been lost in many ways along with the pervasive rise of global capitalism, in which our working lives take us far from the place where we live. Fear, loneliness, anxiety, tender moments, separation and loss sat alongside play, creativity, invention, kindness and a real sense of community. Photography became a lifeline to many people to communicate and express themselves. Indeed where space is more scarce, people found a new love for the space right outside or even on their doorsteps. Of course there are many people that this had already been a reality for, being housebound is not a new thing, but the equalising effect of the lockdown en masse enabled us to relate to each other through unique shared experiences.
Throughout the project it became clear to see that during this enforced period of slowing down, people were looking more closely at their living spaces, neighbours, the light on the wall, the view from windows, aging fruit, homeschooling, attention was brought back to the microcosm of our domestic spaces and the people that we share it with, or not. The pandemic also gave humanity a much needed pause of everyday life, to stop, rethink and reinvent for better or worse. At this extraordinary time of Lockdown due to the Covid-19 virus, we were united through a common experience, it was a heightened time emotionally and visually. The images submitted expressed important thoughts, feelings and the view of the world around us at this extraordinary time collective lives as well as reflecting the impact of world events such as cyclones, the black lives matter protests, alongside the real impacts of isolation, creativity, bereavement, our relationships with nature, family, cities, the resurgence of gardening/DIY/baking and making and so much more. Alongside this it was the most extraordinary and emotionally engaging process to engage with thousands of images streaming live from so many people throughout a period of intense turmoil, at times the stories of heartbreak, loneliness and community were overwhelming. It was certainly the longest durational curation that we had ever undertaken. Apocalyptic narratives combined with dystopian futures to become a reality, as life as we knew it slowly faded into memory.Īs a new world order started to take shape, the situation was difficult for many and a creative provocation for others, all the while the digital realm was like the wild west of the past where entrepreneurial individuals and organisations were clamouring to get the best claim on audiences and extract the riches from this new land.įor 181 days Louise Fedotov-Clements (Director of FORMAT/Artistic Director of QUAD) and Niamh Treacy (FORMAT Co-ordinator) invited images to be posted with the hashtag #massisolationFORMAT and co-curated an instagram stream, posting every day, looking through the images and highlighting as many as possible on our account. Throughout this project we focused on the year 2020, presenting an imperfect vision through a shattered lens, in a previously unforeseeable situation we found ourselves instructed to stay at home, locked down in a global curfew. To view a small curation of the wonderful images received just click on the photo above. The images we have received have been humorous, shocking and absolutely moving.
ANDREAMOSAIC COPY RIGHT WINDOWS
From rainbows in windows supporting NHS workers in the UK to the striking and obscure self-portraits made with limited resources, to front-line staff fighting the virus in hospitals in Iran. To date we have received over 40,000 submissions from 90+ countries which has allowed us to see both the unity and diversity in the experience of this global event. Since then we have been inviting all image makers from around the world to participate in documenting the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, charting the time before, after and during the lockdowns.
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