Creation as an antidote to lockdown
(March – May 2020)
How do we define the notion of home in times of crisis? A shelter? Is a new temporary residence home? What does really connect us to our home? A symbol of place and time? Memory? How many images are required to describe the most fundamental need for protection when it attains attributes of confinement and exclusion? Raw visual material created with poor media, mobile phones and old technology laptops, during the lockdown due to Covid – 19 measures, compose a kaleidoscopic view of the city, where creation seems like the only way for social interaction and escape.
Ahmad Askaryzadeh - “Regarding photography, memories and the past”
“A journey throughout time, with photographs recalling memories from the past, reminiscent of my childhood, from which I have so many memories and Ι thought to portray with objects and old pictures.
However, since I left my country many years ago, I don’t have access to my old personal photographs anymore, so I searched in the web to find images that would remind me of my own childhood and the games I used to play.
I chose to change into black and white the photographs I discovered, to be alike my childhood’s images, then I printed them and photographed them. Yet, I didn’t feel the same emotional bond through this process, so I came up with a new concept.
I hung the photographs on a line with pegs and took shots of them. Furthermore, my inner sense urged me to another creative and inventive idea: I thought that two photos on the foreground should be seen clearly focused and the rest on the line blurred, as an analogy to my strong memories and the faded ones. Naturally, I wanted to take these photographs outdoors, nevertheless because of the corona virus measures, I did this at home.”
Kambiz Isakhani
“Actually I don’t have feelings. I take photos like a tourist. Maybe I have feelings when I shoot but I can’t accurately share these. I’m alone, away from my family. Staying at home helps me a lot to think about my family”.
Mohamed Tayeb - “Home: From bedroom to balcony”
“I started discover the details of my home starting from under my bed and up to the ceiling. In the bed room where I always sit with my laptop, watching movies, learning writing with my pen,I open the window to see the empty street occupied by sweet cats that play freely without caring about humans or cars. Cars that are parked quietly after a long journey. I sit on my balcony with my tea, watching nothing in particular just for some kind of change I wee the lemon tree in front of me, from which I took a lemon to make delicious salad that I learned to make during this period”.
Shahnaz Karimi - “Home is a place of security and intimacy”
“For me, quarantine was a new beginning to pay more attention to my family. My husband and son study together, cook together, and help each other”.
Mohammad Yousef Abduirahim - “ Home is where the time passes by…”
“Staying at home was a difficult time, time passes slowly, every day when I light my cigarette, I meditate the time that passes and I look at the smoke from the cigarette... time was very slow, our feelings were cold, and I began to lose part of the emotions inside me... The last days, someone advised me to visit the church and take pictures for my project and also get to know about the amazing art inside the church. They were lovely days there.
When I finished drawing, I took a picture of the drawing, but I felt that the pencil sharpener was calling me, and I felt that I could take a nice shot of it.
I thought about sharing these photos from my daily life shut in during quarantine”.
Bibiche Makilutila Matondo
Bibiche, sent a video she created for the remote – learning, online video workshop, during the lockdown. She points out that regardless the difficult period, she has a new apartment. She welcomes it with great joy. In this short video, we can see her preparing to put up a wallpaper.
(Video workshop)
Nancy Ngoyol Loluway
Nancy comes from Kinsasa (Kongo). She sent a video named “Passing Time” to her fellow video workshop participants. In the video, we can see her taking care of her wigs “since we don’t have anything to do” in an attempt to spend some time at home during the lockdown. “We mustn’t quit… We’re inside, we sleep, we wake up, we eat, we pray, we eat … We must find something to do”. The procedure of this recording seems to motivate her to express her feelings during this hard time.
(Video workshop)
Christian Kikebula - “Confinement Total“
Christian sent a short video to show what was happening inside and outside his house during the lockdown. He’s going to his balcony and shows us what he sees, while he’s sharing his thoughts and feelings during this “Confinement Total” as he calls it. “We saw that the feelings and the atmosphere were not like this before. Despite all this we give glory to God for the life he gives us and we expect the best after this period”. The camera becomes a medium to connect with people outside the house.
(Video workshop)
Christian Nzoyathom Junia - «Aicha»
Christian Nzouathom Junia from Cameroon took part in the music workshop in the past and now is living in Belgium. He sent this video where he performs the song Aïcha (Jean Jacques Goldman/Khaled) to the others workshop participants.
(Music workshop)
Charlene Julie Oko - “Gia kapoio logo”
Charlene Julie Oko from Cameroon, is sharing a video in which she’s trying to learn the greek song Gia kapoio logo (For some reason by Nikos Oikonomopoulos) while listening to it with headphones.
Nancy Ngoyol Loluway - «Spiritual»
Nancy Ngoyo Loluway is from Kinsasa, Kongo . She is sharing a video in which she’s performing a “Spiritual song” from the oral tradition of her community.
“I loved singing for God since I was a child. I keep singing and asking God to guide me into this foreign land”.
(Music workshop)
Athens Tesselation
Athens Tessellation video emerged from the collaboration of architects Stefania Gyftopoulou and Mara Petra with Stelios Oikonomidis, Maria Pesli and Christos Pieridis, artists and facilitators in Curing the Limbo audiovisual workshops, as well as the participant refugees: Mohammad Yousef Abduirahim, Αhmad Askaryzadeh, Alireza Babaie, Sourena Dinashi, Karimi Arab Ebrahim, Christian Kikebula,, Kambiz Isakhani, Bibiche Makilutila Matondo, Nancy Ngoyo, Christian Nzouathom Junia and Mohamed Tayeb. The original artifacts were created during the online audiovisual workshops, which took place all along the 1st lockdown due to Covid -19 measures in spring 2020. Athens Tessellation video was created and presented as part of The City Talks Back 2 project, in Stegi Onassis Foundation.
