FACES, CHAIRS AND PLANTS: A DAILY DIARY OF QUARANTINE
by Ilan Parienté from Sceaux, France
The months of lockdown were an unexpected event, breaking any convention or sensation of safety we may have taken for granted until now.
Chairs would remain empty as a reminder of the visits we no longer have, but as the world seemed on pause, nature just kept going; no matter what humanity may be experiencing, flowers continue to bloom.
As a result of this long period of quarantine, the explosion of colors happened, the changing shapes of the leaves, the birth of the flowers, the immobility of the chairs following the evolution of the light piercing through the window, observing the dancing shadows on the floor…
Free from any social obligation, the timescale changed drastically during those few months, offering a space to explore things that were already there with new insight.
Looking into the mirror was a good way to punctuate the intensity of those quiet scenes. Who are we in this society turned upside down by a virus we can’t even see? Far from answering this kind of question, making self-portraits seemed like a reasonable way to try to face reality.
It is a simple testimony showing daily observations, exploring the quiet world of isolation through colors.
