Artist Statement

@BrandonSawaya

Heaviness was palpable. It was a very real thing, and the interruption to our unawareness unsettled us. We were having discussions carried out over fence lines, door stoops, and text threads about a virus that was spreading faster than an idea. It wasn’t just infecting people, but corrupting the system in which we behave and think.

From our homes we looked outward. At first it was peering through digital screens. The pull of the digital stream became as strong as our desire to leave it. We used digital distance meetings to connect with others from a safe room, while stepping out of the house became threatening. When our nerves frayed from Windows, we started looking out windows and we saw a familiar cycle beginning; one that has always grounded us.

The relief of spring couldn’t have been more timely. People were drawn outdoors for their mental health by a deep longing. Our attention to budding branches, the color variety of blooms, the change in light from our rotating planet seemed hyper-instinctive and hyper-real compared to our dropped video chats and technical difficulties.

I decided to partner w Soulcraft during that first week to create Made In Quarantine and help counteract my own incomprehension of our new reality. What I hoped for was to regain some control of the narrative, use it to help make sense of what is happening, and ultimately feed positivity back into the information loop.

In this photo essay, I chose to portray nature as having some sort of visual disturbance, using distortion and disorientation. I juxtaposed those images with people who have displayed a sense of clarity and purpose, and are portrayed as such. 

My hope is that this time is but a brief intermission. I hope it gives us a moment to gather ourselves and prepare for the second part of the story.