Covid Mirror
Olivier Jamin is a photographer and artist based in Birmingham. In making photographs he works with a DSLR camera as well as utilising his iPhone, iPad and tablets. His proposal and the resulting work focused on his interest in creating this project and challenge, sharing his experience through the eyes of a Deaf artist. His photographs focus on navigating a city centre in the context of the changes that Covid and lockdown have made.
Covid Mirror
by Olivier Jamin
Project Statement
This project took me to the streets of Birmingham to capture the social and behavioural effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. With just the use of my iPhone 7, I took photographs around the city of people, labels, directions and posters and then edited these to show the confusion within the city.
During the last few months, Coronavirus has created a very strange world for us to get used to. It’s left us confused and uncertain, and it’s this confusion and uncertainty I’ve tried to replicate in my photography work. Rather than seeing a familiar sight in Birmingham through my photography, I wanted people to have to look very closely at the abstract image to work out what’s going on. This has also encouraged a great discussion in the comments section of my Instagram followers as ones try to figure out just where the photos have been taken.
The photographs are an expression of my deep inner consciousness, images I recall from my youth of the Sci-Fi I would watch, and the colours associated with those types of films and shows.
About the Artist
Olivier Jamin is a photographer and artist, an award winning Deaf practitioner and winner of awards including IPSE’s Freelance Project of the Year 2019 and shortlisted for European Diversity Awards & Coca Cola: Hero of the Year 2019. He is interested in photographing his city and the communities within it and in documenting his experiences.
Image Credit: Olivier Jamin
