20/20 Vision – Pandemic City (Part 1)

20/20 Vision - Pandemic City (Part 1) - Blog-Beitrag von Fotografin Deborah Swain / 03.07.2021 13:24

A photography project dictated by the circumstances of 2020 recording the streets of Rome in suspended animation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

As last year drew to a close and I started editing a selection of the most representative images from that year, it became clear to me that I needed to separate my 2020 street photography from my earlier "unstaged tableaux vivants" and urban landscapes.

Italy endured some of the toughest Covid-19 restrictions in the world, with months of lockdown, but also periods of relative freedom of movement. The images collated here are not a political statement and neither do they represent any personal acts of rebellion: I did not leave the house during periods of national quarantine to photograph the emptiness of the city. Instead, these are the photos I took while out and about on the streets of Rome whenever it was legally possible to do so, truthfully recording everyday life unfolding around me. I had no agenda other than seeing for myself how life outside my door was actually being lived during these strange times.

The project, like the pandemic, continues …. Part 2 to follow.