A passion project documenting stories of survival in the local community during 2020, the year of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The idea behind this came after watching the news one evening, listening to statistics of different kinds of loss being experienced by so many throughout the country and even around the world - life, relationships, livelihood, normality and more. I wondered about the people behind these numbers. How were they coping during these truly bizarre times?
Like myself, were they floundering? Or were they thriving?

With my camera on one hand and one light on the other, I sought the people around my community to listen to their stories.
From a safe distance, I had  conversations with these people who, candidly and with searing honesty, spoke about their experiences with lockdown and isolation in the last year. In a way, they represented the stories of so many others.
They are stories of struggle and tales of triumph.
 
As we now think about leaving lockdown and stepping into the light of a new normal, these stories will - one day - become a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the strength of a united community.


Photography taken between February and May 2021. This project was recently awarded Highly Commended in the Photo Essay Category of the Broadway Arts Festival Open Art Competition 2021, with over 650 entries across the country. The image above, titled Emergence, was also awarded Highly Commended in the Photographic Image Category.