Isolating Together: An outdoor photography exhibition born out of Mutual Aid to mark one year of lockdown

Jack Arts

Isolating Together: An outdoor photography exhibition born out of Mutual Aid to mark one year of lockdown

Marking one year since the first Covid-19 lockdown began in the UK, Isolating Together is an outdoor photography exhibition portraying inspiring stories of community, action and solidarity during Covid-19. Running for 10 days, it will be displayed at 18 locations – including a selection of iconic spaces – across Camden, London from 22nd March.

The entirely crowdfunded exhibition celebrates the many people from different walks of life who came together at a time of unprecedented hardship to look after one another. Karishma Puri, the artist behind the project, was inspired to capture the images after establishing Covid Mutual Aid in Kentish Town. A WhatsApp-based community group, it was set up for neighbours to support one another and overcome isolation. “It was clear people were facing acute challenges. But I was also aware of a growing hope and community spirit. So I set out to capture this energy and resolve with my camera,” Karishma explains.

Jack Arts are delighted to be collaborating with Isolating Together to transform our poster space across Camden into a street gallery to support the project. Other displays will include community spaces and local shop windows. Each location was carefully selected from among the most meaningful venues in the area. The centrepiece will be displayed across a 14 metre wall at Number 19, the home of community action in Camden.

Some of the stories in Isolating Together highlight the vital role that local businesses like Truffles Deli played in keeping people going. As well as providing delicious food, it also acted as a hub where people came to chat and feel like a part of the local area. A thread that kept people connected to the community.

Other portraits in the exhibition are more personal. Nafisa’s story tells of the suffering in the Somali community at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Of how she would read comments in the press about ethnic minorities being ignorant about nutrition while neighbours struggled to get by. But despite her own challenges, she decided to do something to help. Nafisa would end up orchestrating a support system within her community which ensured people had a steady supply of free fruit and vegetables.

“Nafisa’s story sums up the spirit I set out to capture in Isolating Together,” says Karishma. “People from diverse backgrounds who might have only shared a postcode in the months before lockdown were now sharing their food and their time with one another.”

Anna Wright, Cabinet Member for Promoting Neighbourhoods and Communities, Camden Council agrees: “The Isolating Together exhibition is a joyous celebration of Camden’s residents and the ways people have drawn strength from each other – overcoming physical distance – to endure the adversity of the Covid pandemic. These vibrant pictures of vibrant people – so different yet so united – will capture our hearts and minds and make us proud to be part of the beating heart of Camden.”

Residents and visitors alike will be able to get a sense of this unique community spirit during self-guided walking tours of the exhibition. There’s even a map to help them, available here.

Build Hollywood

Build Hollywood

Jack Arts