Community.

​

An exploration of community outreach and neighbourhood support during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

2020, mixed media on canvas

The dramatic change to our lives has been a shock, and there have been moments of deep grief for how much we’ve lost, of anxiety for the future, for our health and that of loved ones. I don’t know what will happen, where we’ll be in weeks or months ahead. While I know we should always strive to live in the moment, the lack of a familiar routine and the uncertain future is profoundly unsettling. One of the things that has been of enormous comfort, however, is the observation of people’s response to the crisis. Our neighbours reaching out to each other, friends sewing masks for their friends and neighbours, neighbours setting up collection points for food banks. Colleagues reaching out to each other with recommendations on home science experiments for their children. The awkward smiling dance between strangers on the street as we all try to respect social distances. The TV footage of people playing instruments on their balconies. The international obsession with baking. And of course the weekly applause for healthcare workers. 

 

I live in an urban environment and found myself expressing this community outreach as a series of connected, supported house-like shapes.