The Age of Social Distance

The world-wide quarantine fundamentally changed the way we related to one another. Face-to-face communication was hampered by face masks and physical distancing. We were no longer able to celebrate, console or grieve as community or even as an extended family. The phrase "social distance" became a pervasive part of our verbal and visual landscape. As a photographer who has been exploring community and culture for the past seven years, it meant that there were fewer and fewer avenues to explore. It changed my relationship to the people I encountered. I stepped back, my frame became wider and the empty space around them became a presence. This year and half long project is not about empty streets and discarded masks: it is about rare moments of human connection and the evidence of community captured on our streets. It is a reminder of what was lost and what we have.