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Neighbourhood Tales
Neighbourhood Tales
A Lockdown Project
I believe in the importance of community, however it wasn’t until the Home Stay mandate (2020) that I actually began to meet many of my neighbours, which is ironic since this is known as a time of isolation.
I moved to London almost two years before COVID. This city and specially the neighbourhood I lived in, became deeply ingrained in me. The beautiful weather we experienced in the Spring of 2020 in combination with the lockdown transformed the façades of the buildings in our neighborhood. Everyone was home - It made the neighbourhood feel alive - people were sitting on a chair in front of their door, reading a book, or sunbathing while on their windowsill, having a glass of wine while looking outdoors at people passing by. It was as if the village was coming to life at the same time that the blooming flowers started popping all around us.
As a photographer, I couldn’t help but feel drawn and fascinated by the visual landscape around me. I began to take my daily walks with camera-in-hand. While respecting social distance, I talked and interviewed my neighbours - so many of them open to participate in this project. Walking the streets of the village became my daily exercise. Soon I noticed music was pouring out from the various flats, I could hear violins, piano and some singing - the idea of a concert in lockdown started to form. After having the support of a couple of neighbours who promised to participate, I decided to organize a concert - Filming people from the street, the same way I photographed them, while they would perform from their window or door step. In some cases, we provided the camera/sound equipment for them to bring inside their flats while we remotely operated the camera - All the performances were edited into a one hour film, which then we streamed live and use it to collect funds for local charities.
I’m thankful for the support and openness my neighbours showed me - It helped me feel connected to a community and my hope is that it would help foster a collaborative spirit among us that will continue way past the lockdown is lifted.