Simon Community Covid 19 Project
May - August 2020
Our idea was to produce a document of both people experiencing homelessness in secure accommodation and also the charity's response to Covid through it's staff and volunteers.
For the portraits, the client was photographed against a white background to imply a blank canvas. I wanted to remove them from any location or from any pose that would reinforce the stereotype of a person experiencing homelessness. The portraits aim to present the model as being empowered but I also wanted them to look human and dignified.
Hands were symbolic of the Covid crisis, with a lot of focus placed on cleanliness of hands due to the spread of the virus through touch. Hands were a metaphor for hope and friendliness, reaching out to show the viewer an item of value in their possession or to display a message of hope – something that helped get them through. Some people had absolutely nothing and drew a message or image on their hand of something they missed or loved, a cherished memory.
This gallery of photographs show some of the diptych images for exhibition as well as other portraits and hands. There are a few other 'out-takes' as well as some detail shots in keeping with the general theme of the project.