OUR CREATIVE CARDIFF (2020)

During the summer of 2020, Creative Cardiff commissioned 15 artists to create work highlighting creativity in Cardiff and different creative communities and stories within the city.

Towards the beginning of Lockdown, I lost my grandfather to Coronavirus. The work I produced examined how people were dealing with grief during quarantine and a time of social distancing. The images and text used are influenced by a social media call out, where participants responded with the physical and emotional ways they have been grieving and dealing with grief, whilst apart from their families. The work is made up of five smaller components which loosely reflect the five stages of grief and the five steps of a home Covid-19 test kit.  Using a combination of mediums, specifically the Cyanotype photographic process and cross stitch not only is an exploration of physical connection through their tactile nature, but is a reflection of the skills that have connected me to creatives and creative groups within the city of Cardiff. Through physical acts I reconnect with these groups and also my mother, as cross stitch was a skill she taught me when I was young. I hope to share a small portion of how many of us deal with grief during British Lockdowns and to reflect a small portion of the artistic skills that make up our creative Cardiff.