During this time GRAIN awarded Commissions and Bursaries to emerging and established photographers, artists and writers, based regionally and nationally. The practitioners explored, responded to and documented the crisis of post lockdown society, inequalities and communities and made new work as everyone was affected by social distancing, the wearing of face coverings and PPE and new ways of working and seeing family and friends.
The Commissions and Bursaries supported photographers, artists and writers to make new work at a challenging time for everyone, including the arts and cultural sectors and at a time when people wanted to continue to be productive and feel connected.
The resulting work is an important record of our lives during Covid, our experiences of lockdown and major changes to our way of life. Reflecting on and responding to these times photographers, artists and writers have explored the affects on the outside world, on our health and wellbeing, our working environments and family and private spaces. As the familiar became unfamiliar the work is an important archive of a year lived as never before.
22 Photographers, Writers and Artists were selected based upon their submissions from a large national Open Call, generously supported by Arts Council England and the National Lottery Players.
The seven projects that are taking place in Birmingham are also supported by Birmingham City Council and the three projects taking place in Stoke-on-Trent are supported by Appetite. These commissions and bursaries are focussed on how communities and individuals have responded during these challenging times.
Lewis Bush
Invisible Chains: Photography’s Ingrained Assumptions
Jamila Prowse
Moving towards rupture, resistance, and refusal in Black moving image works
Anneka French
I am reaching out to you
Anna Souter
Photosynthesis
Andrea G Artz
Pandemia to Pandemia
Lydia Goldblatt
Fugue
Jaskirt Boora
Birmingham Lockdown Stories
Chris Hoare
Street Cleaners
Daniel Dale
HAPPINESS
Freddy Griffiths
A Slippery Slope
Jemima Yong
Field
Ngadi Smart
Metamorphosis
Shaista Chishty
Playing Their Part
Andrew Roberts
What would you say
Barnaby Kent
All People Are Like Grass
Chris Neophytou
The Planting of a Fig Tree
Joanna Fursman
from two metres
Olivier Jamin
Covid Mirror
Yas Lime
A response from Yas Lime for the Life in Lockdown Project
Robyn Clark
The Chronicles of Lockdown
Sarah Peart
Aftermath
Holly Johnson
Life Behind The Front Line
