Camilla Ferrari
by Camilla Ferrari from Milan, Italy
Self-portrait while looking out of the window at night. It's unusual to see so many lights on.
Italy was one of the first and most affected countries during the outbreak, and from the onset of quarantine I was fortunate enough to choose to self isolate. Colleagues were out documenting the unfolding consequences of the virus and I constantly questioned my role as a storyteller in this situation, and what could be a possible contribution to the visual heritage and testimony created by the pandemic.
I reflected on the protection that those four walls offered, how much beauty could be discovered inside them, how ordinary scenes and everyday patterns took on a new meaning. I started noticing how the passing of time and the changing light would create moments of surrealism and magic. I felt the urge to follow this presence, even joining it, as the days passed, losing count.
During the process of creating and sharing the images while in lockdown, I reflected on the psychological effects of confinement and how they influenced not only the way viewers perceived the images of home, which surprised me, but how affected I was while creating them. The rediscovered importance of the simple and banal things became a tool to create a parallel space with limitless possibilities, where to wander without moving.
SELF-PORTRAITS: PHOTOGRAPHERS IN CONFINEMENT
Curated by Svetlana Bachevanova (USA/France)
A collection of self-portraits made by photojournalists from five continents during the unprecedent lockdown due to the corona virus pandemic.
Photographers are people on the road, living to document the lives of others.
Constrained by the lockdown, many of them had their first experience of being still long enough to begin seeing and understanding small details about who they are, their lifestyles and values, that were overshadowed while they were busy. These self-portraits express their experience.
This is a unique collection of self-portraits from some of the best lenses in photojournalism at an historic moment.
Photographers in Confinement is a project in process and I welcome additional submissions from photojournalists at svetlana@fotoevidence.com
I am looking for potential exhibition partners in the USA and abroad.
Svetlana Bachevanova is a founder and publisher of FotoEvidence, long time photojournalist and curator.
