5 photographers interpret concern within the Wellcome Covid-19 mission
From isolation to job insecurity to grief, the mental health fallout associated with the global pandemic is now widely recognized. In order to find out how fears manifest themselves in a variety of ways and under far-reaching individual circumstances, Wellcome commissioned five picture makers from different countries to create a photographic answer to the question: “How are you, your family and friends who Coping with Covid-19 Fears? "
British photographer Hayleigh Longman, who was with her mother and her mother's partner in Harlow, turned to self-portraiture, which she found therapeutic, while also documenting the coping mechanisms so many people had to establish that year.
For Longman and her family, this meant forging bonds with neighbors like seven-year-old Harry next door and engaging in “productive procrastination” in the form of odd jobs around the house and garden. "These acts have a sense of accomplishment as we fill our time with activities to distract ourselves from the anxiety and fear we were feeling," says Longman.
Manu Brabo, whose practice is usually focused on conflict photography, explored the new dangers emerging this year. Brabo, who hails from Gijón in northern Spain, has launched an intimate project focused on his high-risk father who he believes would be "an easy target for the virus".
The trial exposed Brabo's own fears as well as his father's and found that he was constantly wondering how he was using the mask properly? Does he wash his hands enough? And if it gets infected, will it be a different number on the graph?
Above and above: Manu Brabo, 2020
Brooklyn-based photographer Cait Oppermann has created a project that contrasts the interior with the outside reality. The photos are broken down into images taken at her apartment, where she and her partner spent most of their time, and photos taken during protests in response to the police murder of George Floyd in May were organized.
Oppermann says her goal was "to capture the constant pushing and pulling associated with worrying about one's own health and trying to suppress an invisible virus, as well as one's civic duty against injustice and other diseases in general to fight".
New Zealand photographer Tatsiana Chypsanava started her project after the lockdown was lifted examining how the return to a form of freedom – usually seen as a cause for celebration – brought new fears.
Chypsanava examines the emerging behavior and persistent discomfort after the reopening of the country from the perspective of her 13-year-old daughter, who had gotten used to the lockdown rules and the life that came with them.
South African photographer Lindokuhle Sobekwa used his project to document the everyday fears he and those around him experienced that year, due to the separation from his family and the interruption of utilities such as electricity in the Thokoza community in Johannesburg, where he lived, was raised with his girlfriend's family.
In addition to images that show the visible manifestation of fear, Sobekwa also captures the improvised attempts to find joy in everyday life, from shadow puppets by candlelight during power outages to celebrating his birthday even though he is not with his mother, brother and sisters.
The project was launched to coincide with the opening of entries for the 2021 Wellcome Photography Prize, which will focus on mental health, infection control and health in a heating world as key categories.
Entries for the Wellcome Photography Prize are open until January 18, 2021. wellcome.org/photoprize