Lockdown

Five images made in March 2020 just as the true horrors of the pandemic become apparent in the UK. Inspired by a retired consultant who returned to the NHS only to contract the virus and die.

Selector Tessa Mills FRPS selected this series of images as favourite. "I scored this highest as it was one of the few that gave me an emotional tug.  Picture 1 shows me the destruction of all things considered important in our adult world.  Rather like Alice, the girl is walking into a shamble of broken ideas and broken dreams.  She represents the younger generation that will inherit whatever we make of this world.  All masked up but not able to filter out the destructive forces evident in this aftermath. The Dr. Teddy story follows on as an example of seeing the Covid disaster through one real story and a child's eyes.  The naïve quality of images, degraded by life's trials, are perfect for giving the viewer pause to consider the state of play at the moment.  The story is real.  The images are extremely emotive.  The choice of presentation works very well for me.  The images stay in my mind compelling me to think about seeing this whole Covid experience from a child's point of view.  I feel that this is an important example of truly Contemporary thinking and 'story telling'.”