Reflective writing on the experience of working, viewing, and being viewed during Covid-19
What is it about?
The experience of working and living during lockdown was physically and emotionally felt as one of reduction. This article reflects on the experience of home working facilitated through the screen, describing in retrospect, the making of a puppet which was used to voice that experience. It considers the production and exhibition of the puppet, thinking about how the object facilitated a greater understanding of feelings about health.
Why is it important?
Written in a way which which privileged both the eye of sight and the I of the individual subject, the work attempts to honestly relate complex feelings about physical and mental health considered during a time of fearful change. The isolation and new working practices precipitated by lockdown protocols allowed a space for making, thinking, and reflection which is necessary if the experience can be archived rather than lost. The restrictions of lockdown required innovation and gave space for new ways of making - this article explains the cultural and social impetus for the creation of the puppet, making links between screened and screen trauma.