2020
Client
Uni of Brighton
Role
Student Artist
Overview
The final project of my Fine Art degree, focusing on my experience early pandemic working in a hospital.
Problem Statement
My final project had to be my best work, which deserved subject matter that was important to me. Most of my previous work was focused on the exploring the subject matter and topic and considering the sudden exposure to a turning point in human history, it felt fitting to explore COVID as my subject. The challenge would be to capture the intensity and emotion present in the hospitals.
Objectives
Complete a series of drawings related to my experience with COVID.
Explore potential ideas and capture the atmosphere of the situation.
Exhibit this work at the end of my final year at uni.
User Research
I immersed myself in work during this period, exploring the dynamics and situations, talking to colleagues and discussing their experiences, and keep a keen eye for important moments that I could convey visually in my work.
Ultimately it was a very personal project, the decisions for which I made based on what I wanted to put across. Ink was my medium of choice and I chose to limit to black and white (with limited use of isolated colour) to convey the solemn nature of the subject matter, and often chose close up framing to mimic the suffocating pressure everyone seemed felt at the time.
Designs
Learnings
Although ultimately they may not be too technically skill demanding, I feel I captured the moments I aimed to. The emotion and sorrow and hopelessness bleeds from the pages as much now (2024) as it did back then.
As we know, COVID continues years on and the social impact is still being felt. The moments captured in these pieces displays the initial feelings of loneliness and sadness even back then (early 2020).
I had been in conflict with my tutors since day one of my degree, having to defend my illustrative style in a fine art context, and although I did not achieve the grade I hoped for, I realised my pride in my work.
I was not able to exhibit any of this work due to ongoing lockdowns at the time.
The work is dedicated to the underappreciated frontline healthcare workers for whom we didn't clap throughout the pandemic.
