“When the world stood still”
The British Photographic Assignment 2020: COVID-19, Entry “When the World Stood Still”
Entry by Photographer Wei Jian Chan
“When the World Stood Still” is an ongoing photo series (11 March 2020 – present) on my experience of life during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Approximately one year after I started making photographs on the streets of London, the city was changed in unprecedented ways by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is now impossible to leave the house without seeing the radical impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our lives. Even before the nationwide “lockdown” was imposed on 23 March 2020, the usually busy streets had begun to empty out, making the city feel like a strange and desolate place.
We will look back on these days and talk about the way we lived and how we felt during the pandemic. In these unsettling times, I make a point of carrying my camera with me whenever I can, no matter how humble the walk to the supermarket or for exercise.
This series captures the extraordinary things I have seen, and the surreality of lockdown London.
Note 1: I have uploaded some of my photographs as diptychs in order to show contrast and/or develop themes. I am happy to provide them as individual JPEG files if necessary.
Note 2: The full series can be viewed at here.
The new British Photographic Assignments, open to all British-based photographers and those of British nationality the world over is continuing to accept images until 1st of January 2021.
