Creative Connections: Fragments by Hannah Taylor
PROJECT: FRAGMENTS
ARTIST: HANNAH TAYLOR
During the COVID-19 epidemic, those who are identified at risk of severe illness were sent an official government NHS letter which states that the safest course of action is; ‘To stay at home at all times and avoid all face-face contact for at least twelve weeks from today.’
'Fragments' is a digital platform where high risk individuals respond to the letter that allows for “unconscious, spontaneous responses through personal association”.
It explores how memory shapes our understanding of information and the disparity between oral histories and digital archives.
Over 3 months, 12 participants responded to their understanding of the letter, forming new information and new memories. These will be in the form of video responses and graphic collage.
Follow the narrative: www.fragmentsarchive.co.uk
Memory 1:
This presents the first memory response of the letter from participant Paul Shemmell, who at the date of filming had been shielding for 60 days. Each week, another high risk individual will respond to the last persons memory. Follow the updates and watch the videos to see how the story changes through the memory and associations of individuals facing lockdown and isolation. A graphic collage will follow each video to show what information has been remembered, changed and created.
Participant comments
“I really enjoyed taking part, it highlighted how other people are coping through lockdown.”
“I thought it was good to talk about the rules and the situation. It was good to think about this in more detail.”
“It was very positive to explore such a significant and negative situation, such as COVID, viewed through an artistic lens. It clearly has massive cultural significance, and projects like this will allow history to contextualise what happened.”
“I thought it was a great chance to reflect and assess how I feel about shielding.”
“A great way to interact with art with easy access online/virtually- perfect for lockdowns, pandemics and allowing access to those who might not get out normally in the community.”
“Really topical and thought-provoking. Made me see the whole Covid-19 crisis in a different way.”
“It was a strange experience. I've never done anything like it before, so it took some time to understand what was required. When I got into it, I thought it provided a very original take on the subject matter and I was glad I had participated.”