“SALON/21 is our annual member’s show at Photofusion and to celebrate our 30th anniversary, we’ve decided to make it extra special this year. We’ve got Emma Bowkett and Zelda Cheatle as our selectors, as well as, Gina Glover and Geof Rayner selecting the winners of the first Glover Rayner prize. The last year has been difficult for us all in so many different ways but we want to put that past us, celebrate our members and the work made throughout the pandemic.”
A Slither from the Lockdown Sky 2020, 22 x 8
In 2020, a few days into the first lockdown, I started to photograph my window view, the sky and the rooftop of the building across the road. Every day, I followed the same frame and soon this repetitive process became part of my daily routine. I noticed how the recurrence of the seemingly monotonous view resonated with my distorted perception of time.
In this digital photo montage, the skies were added chronologically, each day representing one slither. I cropped each image, ending up with merely a slither of a sky. Each of the three UK lockdowns that occurred between March 2020 and May 2021 is represented with two collages.
By arranging the skies next to each other, a seemingly random patchwork of various hues of blues, browns, greys and pinks emerges. It resonates with the notion that although on the surface, life may appear dreary, it is constantly changing, even if ever so subtly.
Even though these skies depict my personal view, nevertheless, I am hoping that the work may resonate on a larger scale, representing the passing of time, a message of hope, reminding us of life’s continuity and its perpetual change.