Artists's Digital Photography Pieces from Left to Right:
Mind the Gap, The Carpet, The Climb, The Door Gap, and The Wires.
Artist Statement:
Covid 19 conicals looks at my life in the early days of lockdown. As shops closed, queues for supermarkets grow and we were confined to our homes but for an hour a day exercise, I found myself restrict to my room within a shared house with very little social space available.
My room already functioning as an office; livingroom and bedroom became a prison. Desperate to escape mentally and physically I began to document the spaces available to me through the lens of my camera.
As I moved through the house I began to see the quirks of its history and its cry for attention through the years of neglect. I recored the threadbare carpet, cracked plaster and layers of peeling paint. Listening to sounds as I moved around, thinking about my future or current lack of one.
Here you can see 5 images from the series. Each images is accompanied with a short description for the viewer to see through my eyes at one of the many experiences of this global pandemic we are all part of in our own unique way.
Artist Biography:
I’m a London based artist, originally from the North West of England. My photography practice incorporates audio and the use of written words. Often quotes from the sitter but more recently information.
My practice looks in social history and the environment. I’ve spent several years documenting the 1984-85 miners strike with the help of arts council funding. My first funded project looked at the men that crossed their picket lines to return to work early when they know all was lost. It marked the 30th anniversary of the strike ending, something I found very important to document as both my grandfather and father were miners based in Yorkshire and Wales at the time of the strike starting. The second round of funded looked at the women of the strike that supported their men for the fight to earn a decent wage. It was presented for international women’s day, the women shared their move from the kitchen to picket line and later a more active life in protesting for other curses. Other projects have looked at todays allotment holders and the Welsh colony in Patagonia, Argentina.
Image details:
MindtheGap - The gap that appeared in the little bit flooring just outside the kitchen. It’s become a little spongy underneath and bounces. It started in the kitchen last year, we noticed the fridge leaning and laminate looking a little dodge. They lifted up the laminate and replaced half the floor but it seems not enough of it.
TheCarpet - I’m living in a rented house that is the embarrassment of the street I’m sure. My landlord has made use of every space for a bedroom but it keeps the rent low so I’m able to save in the hope I can get my own place. This is my hall carpet, apparently it don’t need replacing as it’s still got life in it. I’m sure it has, but not the life I’d like. It’s now so thin you can actually see the floorboard underneath it. The light through the door helps to illuminate the unidentifiable stains and its got a few bald spots you may have noticed. You can’t tell from the picture or in real life in most areas of it but it’s actually blue.
TheDoorGap - the bathroom door and the entrance to my room. Ignoring the state of the paint on the doors, you’ll see the gap at the top of the bathroom door is much wider. This is because its badly warped and the bane of my life in the house as wind hits the door making it slam but its so warped it doesn’t stop closed and opens only for the wind to slam it again. I find myself spend much of the day closing the window only to find it open and hour later and the slamming to continue...
TheWires - These wires are a little bundle above the front door. I’m not really sure what any of them do or if they do anything. I’ve followed a few around the house curiously wondering, but most just turn up in the kitchen or the hall never attaching to anything!
TheClimb - This is my bannister, I’m not sure why they never put one of the spindles in, leaving a gap after they took the time to add the little extensions that shows throughout the climb. One of life’s mysteries ever to remain unknown I guess.