The Picturing Lockdown Collection was created during April and May 2020, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. During seven days the public were asked to submit photographs that they felt best represented their experiences of lockdown in England, and from these submissions one hundred representing all the different geographic regions were chosen to be archived with Historic England. Alongside these images, ten artists were commissioned to produce their own images over the course of five days, representing their lockdown experience. These were supplemented with images by Historic England’s own photographers. Together, the Picturing Lockdown collection forms a permanent visual record of this unusual time in history.
This photograph, taken at 11.51 on 2nd May 2020, is the third of five images depicting the lockdown as experienced by the artist Bella Milroy, and represents the East Midlands region. The artist has written the following text to explain how this image documents their experience of lockdown: "As spring welcomes us with sunnier, warmer days I’ve found some of my most welcomed relief resting in the garden. A combination of Lockdown married with a furious flare of symptoms meant that this small precious outdoor space had once again become the ultimate safe haven it always is for me; a place to be in the world again only in the form of wind blowing, glorious birdsong, the chitter-chatter of children playing or my closed eyes against spring sunshine. And yet it really is a wonder to participate in such a haven of rest given that we live amongst such close quarters. With a row of terraces that all have such low-lying borders, tightly stacked on top of each other on this high hill, it’s a marvel we as neighbours get on at all. A particular delight over these past few weeks has been hearing the babble of noise and laughter drift up over the hillside from the gardens below. Old friendships are strengthened and new ones solidified in this strange moment in time, and this particular street seems to have what it means to find solace and sanctuary at its very core. So many of us that live here find it on a daily basis, and it feels special to be able to witness the moments at which these points happen in new and unexpected ways. We’re all continuing to reach out, wave, be nice and say hi… the new street WhatsApp group is great too."
This is part of the Volume: HEC01/036/02/06 Picturing Lockdown Collection: Artists' Submissions - Bella Milroy; within the Sub Series: HEC01/036/02 Picturing Lockdown Collection - Artists' Submissions; within the Series: HEC01/036 Picturing Lockdown Collection; within the Collection: HEC01 Historic England
© Bella Milroy
Photographer: Milroy, Bella
Victorian Terraced House, Health And Welfare, People
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