Historic England is calling on UK residents to share images to document their lockdown experience during the coronavirus outbreak.
The #PicturingLockdown project will run from Wednesday 29th April to Tuesday 5th May in order to create a unique record of a week across the nation during these extraordinary times.
Historic England is asking people to share images via their website that show how we are all facing the challenges of lockdown, self-isolation and social distancing, from rainbows in the window to star jumps on balconies.
Claudia Kenyatta, Director of Regions at Historic England said:
We are facing one of the most extraordinary moments in living memory. During this time of necessary lockdown restrictions, we are asking the public and some of our most talented contemporary artists to help us record history, whilst being careful to abide by the government’s social distancing measures. We want people to show us their experiences of lockdown, how communities have come together and life has changed for us all. These challenging times are encouraging us all to pause and reflect upon our relationship with our surroundings. We hope this project inspires creativity and reflection, allowing the public to create a unique time capsule for the future.”
100 of the images submitted by the public will be chosen to enter the Historic England Archive to provide a record for the future. Of the submissions from the public, the 50 most evocative, informative and inspiring images will combine with 50 works from ten contemporary artists into a Collection. These will be catalogued by the Historic England Archive and will be made freely accessible online.
This is the first time the public have been asked to capture a moment in time and save it in the Historic England Archive of over 12 million photographs since the Second World War.
Historic England is asking the public to keep to social distancing measures when taking part in this project and only go outside for food, health reasons or for work if you cannot work from home.