Un Diagnosed

 

‘We tend to think of colonialism as an unstoppable wave, or a platoon of tanks moving smoothly across the plain, when in fact it is more like the trickle of an ever-multiplying virus through the arterial network.’  ~ Robert Moore: On Trails

 

 

Issy, Karen, Andrew

 

Sian

 

 

 

Jo and Lizzi

 

 

 

Kathy and Uwe

 

 

 

Uwe

 

Brenda

 

 

 

Neighbour at No.8

 

 

 

Becky and Owen

 

Owen

 

Fiona and Mark

 

Mark

 

Sarah, Peter, Nancy

 

Rob, Hattie, Tilly, Amy, Lulu

 

Darren and Charlie

 

Darren and Charlie

 

Bella, Flo, Nadia

 

 

 

Kate, Isaac, Eva 

 

Isaac

 

Adam, Lola, Molly

 

 

 

Jon and family

 

Jon

 

Mel and Si

 

 

 

Slavka and Misa

 

Misa

 

Jey

 

 

 

Paul and Zoe

 

 

 

Robbie 

 

 

 

Laura and Felix

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elin, Andy, Leonardo (the dog) 

 

 

 

Quincy, Meredith, Tim, Doris

 

 

 

Ryan and Claire

 

 

 

Olive & Julie

 

 

 

Andy, May, Jane, Sonny

 

 

 

Monica and Dee 

 

 

 

Lisa, Laurie, Lee, Eddie

 

Sam, Jonty, Stitch, Morwenna

 

 

 

Fata and Kate

 

 

 

Fata

 

Dewey

 

 

 

Chris and Sandra

 

 

Grace, Gila, Mary, Rumble

 

Grace

 

 

 

Fraser, Millie, Jock, Andrea, Rosie

 

 

 

Pete, Quinnellis, Rosamela

 

 

 

Zoe, Daniel, James 

 

 

 

Roo & daughters

 

 

 

 

Laura & family

 

 

 

Carrie, Daisy, Paul, Joseph, Lily & Trixie

 

 

 

Jane & George

 

 

 

Jane

 

Silvio, Loredana, Nina, Mia

 

 

 

Alfie, Sel, Claire, Nova (Panda) 

 

 

 

Rowena, May, Imogen, Finn

 

 

 

Constantine, Trisha, Jasper & Florence

 

Lucy and Yasmin

 

 

 

Clair

 

 

 

Pete and Wendy 

 

 

 

Gwen and Richard

 

 

 

Della, Clive, Sandy and Teddy

 

 

 

Zoe, Solomon, Merle, Richard 

 

 

 

 Nadia, Mark, Sam, Fin

 

Nick, Hannah, Matilda, Emily  

 

 

 

Andrew, Andrea, Olive, Sonny

 

Ros, Richard, Alex

 

 

 

Kim and Rick

 

 

 

Liz and Sarah 

 

 

 

Alan and Gordon

 

 

 

Chris and Dave

 

 

 

Chiara, Jackie and Chester 

 

 

 

 

Project Rationale

In response to the Covid-19 Pandemic I decided, like many photographers, to try to capture some of the atmosphere of these strange times. My project rationale was to photograph as many of my friends and neighbours as possible within walking distance of where I live. I was restricted by Government Guidelines around public safety; going out was itself a risk, so I limited myself to one or two photoshoots per daily walk. This required careful planning, setting up a system of appointments, maintaining a safe distance, using a long lens for the close up shots. I sent out messages with a simple request: I wanted to photograph people on their front doorsteps, informal pose (messy hair and embarrassing slippers would be fine). The response was overwhelmingly affirmative: people wanted to be a part of a collective project, to be noticed in this time of social distancing. As the project has developed it has begun to link people together, forming a collective sense of self in this socially isolating time.

The title Undiagnosed refers to the many without a diagnosis, not in quarantine yet still socially distant and for some, isolated by circumstances. More to the point, these were my friends and neighbours, whose homes were now off limits, making the situation even more disconcerting. The familiar was now very unfamiliar, and unlike other types of ‘war’ the hunkering together had to be done apart. I restricted the shots to people framed within their front doors, squeezed within their hallways, or stood in front gardens, on the threshold between inside and outside, the safe and the unsafe. I was looking for a series of expressions: serious, pensive, reflective, quizzical, defiant (pleased to see me). I sought to capture the psychological effect of the pandemic by highlighting how the normal has become the weird.

Despite the rigorous typology of this series the portraits highlight the differences: the variety of architectural details and the differing combinations of families & friends, some squeezed together, some temporarily separated, some reunited: there are university students whose terms have been abruptly cut short, children suddenly being home schooled, families united by circumstances, children divided between separated homes, friends paired up for convenience, families struggling with financial difficulties and job losses, individuals confined to their homes and reliant on home delivery, retired people for whom the pace of life has not not changed much but the safety of outdoors has radically shifted, those still working (for food banks, community allotments, pharmacies, NHS, social services) and those who appear to be enjoying the circumstances, who feel less pressure not more.

As I photographed friends & neighbours I noticed that the skies had cleared, no contrails to be seen, the air smelt fresher and at the local golf course, now empty of golfers, deer roamed the greens. Walking the streets, on my daily excursion, I noted the sound of birdsong, uncertain if this was because there was more birds, less background or my hyper-vigilance was making me more alert.

These images were taken between the period of the first Prime Minister’s ‘stay at home’ speech on 16th March 2020 and his second ‘stay at home go to work’ speech on 10th May 2020. During this period the social restrictions were tightened, the death toll increased, the nation clapped for its NHS staff whilst PPEs were in short supply, testing for the virus was scant, there was no clear end in sight and the Prime Minister went into intensive care.

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As part of the Brighton Photo Fringe 2020 I presented my project Undiagnosed from 3rd October to 18th December 2020. The exhibition was held at the West Buildings Shelter, Worthing, an outdoor venue on the seafront which meant it was open for public viewing 24/7. I worked alongside and was supported by Colonnade House, a creative hub in Worthing that supports local artists and designers. The exhibition consisted of 30 portraits of local Worthing residents.