Image © Steve Jones
Our fifth LIP Central Zoom meeting gave people the opportunity to present images they plan to submit for the “Chronicles of Covid” on-line LIP exhibition. It seems that lockdown and this period of introspection has stimulated the group’s creativity.
Not having access to big skies, Frankie created her own artificial landscapes – a distorted, manufactured reality – a “vivarium”. In contrast, Hady went into his back garden to track the changes from winter to summer of a knotted hazel branch. Jan’s approach was to try to tell the story of Covid symbolically in images – in one, the higher path blocked by locked gates while the canal offering an alternative route. Like Jan, Heather has tried to capture the sense of isolation, restricted to her local area with other lives happening behind fences. Geoff has used his phone for a detailed, introspective daily diary, but has decided for the exhibition to return to his own constructed distorted reality – his true voice. Austin has observed street art and shop windows – some of which have signs saying “we are open” but with no-one inside. Like Austin, Steve has captured empty premises – shops and barbers – but his signs say “sorry we are closed”! Anna produced a strong set of images looking out of windows through curtains, with just glimpses of sky, not in an oppressive sense but with a feeling of being protected and cocooned. Likewise Edey presented images taken in her flat, looking towards the light, all of them exhibiting the same mysterious tonal range. Robin’s lockdown has meant a new life online, captured in a dramatic, well-structured black and white image of him at his computer. Ingrid had already submitted her “Love in the Time of Corona” set of images with text. So this evening she presented some very poignant photographs taken when she visited her father who is now very frail and confined to life in one room.
Edith Templeton
Mechthild Belton
Austin Guest
Jan Cylwik
Steve Jones
Frankie McAllister
Robin Barr
Janet Nabney
Hady Bayoumi
Ingrid Newton