People living with arthritis and musculoskeletal disease were amongst those identified as “clinically extremely vulnerable” to COVID-19 by the NHS England. We collected 25 different creative materials from 15 participants, including pictures, poems, videos and songs that show snippets of their life in shielding.
On this page you will find creative materials as follows from:
Shannon Banks
Six Hundred Days of Shielding
COVID-19 Mosaic
Six Hundred Days of Shielding – video of cumulative artworks
Sandra Lochrie
Image Gallery (click on images to view)
Snowy garden
Sunny garden
Pansies
Flower close-up
Teddybear
Tulips
Dahlia
Anonymous 1
Joe Eddison
Nadia
Photograph: “A memorial to colleagues who died from COVID”
Leonora
Image Gallery (click on image to view)
Composite ‘Freya and Leonora’
Natalya Revitt
Image Gallery (click on images to view)
Blue Glass Mosaic
Yarn Artwork
Green Glass Mosaic
Dalila Tremarias
Image Gallery (click on image to view)
Digital Art: Shielding
Anne Bates
“Shielding made my world a very small, lonely place. I needed a project to occupy myself.
Inspired by stunning glass garden sculptures I’d seen I wanted to make flowers for my garden.
Taking a sheet of clear glass, a cutter and coloured powders I became absorbed cutting, colouring, fusing and shaping petals, petals and more petals!!
Many things can go wrong once you put glass into a kiln to fuse, so its always exciting to open the kiln to see the results. Suddenly this became the first thing I did most mornings, eager with anticipation.
Gradually pieces came together and the first of my flowers bloomed which I was jolly proud of.
An hour in my craft room most days provided some much needed ‘me’ time. Closing the door, turning the music on it was a perfect place to escape, relax, unwind and recharge… and as I bonus I have a wonderful ornament in my garden which always makes me smile.”
Image Gallery (click on images to view)
Blue Glass Flowers
Purple Glass Flowers
Purple and Yellow Glass Flowers
Anonymous 2
Nory-J
Song: Holding Out for April
Janine W.
Image Gallery (click on images to view)
Face time with my sister’s dog
Shielding
Shielding at home whilst zooming into my Mum’s 80th birthday party
Zoom Halloween party. It’s not the same.
Watching Hospital, in hospital in the hospital that’s filmed in Hospital
Hospital soup should be a liquid at least
Hospital chair in the bathroom. Am I safe here?
Growing mushrooms in the bathroom because I can’t get up the steps to the garden
Anonymous 3
Image Gallery (click on images to view)
Series 1: Neighbourhood messages
Image 1: “double helix with snake head”
I am HLA-B27 positive with Ankylosing Spondylitis – it is definitely a snake!
Image 2: “somethings are very wrong”
yes like how quick the general population is to cull “people with underlying conditions” during a pandemic… now get back inside so the healthy people can live normally.
Image 3: “it’s cool, I’m fine.”
Disabled people like me are apt at having life restricted, dealing with uncertainty, navigating health risks, health based decision making, implementing control measures for protecting our health, sacrificing life events due to illness etc the rest of the population, is not. I felt sorry for the general population on one hand, and simultaneously realised how much a privilege “good health” really is. I sometimes feel angry about this inequality and feel devalued by society. Lockdown put a big spotlight on ”abilism” for me helped me to understand (and correct) that I started to internalise some of it.
Image 4: “talk more”
This image represents that I started to engage in psychotherapy during lockdown. The message here is great but I wasn’t sure of the artwork at first? I posted it on social media, the artist responded and said it was two faces – talking…what do you see? My mental and physical health had deteriorated: physical pain 24/7 and I wanted to disappear and cease to exist. I am in treatment with a private therapist who is continually providing support….What if I didn’t make that phone call that day?
Series 2: Blocked and locked
Image 5: “locked gate”
I took this photo because my friend was coming over with an angle grinder to cut off the rusty lock when garden visits became legal again. I chose this photo because it visually represents feeling locked in. My friend was on maternity leave and I unemployed, so we took the opportunity to (safely) re connect and support each other. We remembered to have some fun. I don’t drive, so she would take me out and we would go for walks. Really strengthened our friendship.
Image 6: “fence”
Part of my local daily walk route. The city so close yet so far and not accessible. I still haven’t been to the city centre since 2020.
Image 7: “everywhere”
Restricted area – everywhere.
Series 3: Darkness and light
Image 8: “even the kitchen sink”
I took this image as I sunk to the floor in utter despair my kitchen. I cried for losses, grieving my independence, my diminished abilities, feeling lonely and isolated. Lost my job as a result of disability discrimination. I lost my PIP benefits, No financial income whatsoever. Impact on my marriage has been detrimental and I do not have any family. My cat died, I had her for 16 years. Everything had fallen apart, and the pandemic rages on. Struggled to see the light.
Image 9: “Luigi”
During the time my cat was dying, this guy showed up in my garden. He was there everyday. He had no home, looked scruffy and was starving in rough shape. I worked with him and We did the usual checks/scans to see if he was lost. He slept under a bush for a week in the cold in Jan 2020. I started feeding him. I welcomed the distraction from grieving my previous cat. We called him Luigi and he is now part of our family. Rescuing him helped me rescue myself.
Image 10: “Princess P”
I adopted her through a local small rescue. This is the first pic of her in our arms. She’s provided me with a sense of purpose, distraction and most importantly – play.
Series 4: Benefits & pain relief
Image 8: “even the kitchen sink”
I took this image as I sunk to the floor in utter despair my kitchen. I cried for losses, grieving my independence, my diminished abilities, feeling lonely and isolated. Lost my job as a result of disability discrimination. I lost my PIP benefits, No financial income whatsoever. Impact on my marriage has been detrimental and I do not have any family. My cat died, I had her for 16 years. Everything had fallen apart, and the pandemic rages on. Struggled to see the light.
Image 9: “Luigi”
During the time my cat was dying, this guy showed up in my garden. He was there everyday. He had no home, looked scruffy and was starving in rough shape. I worked with him and We did the usual checks/scans to see if he was lost. He slept under a bush for a week in the cold in Jan 2020. I started feeding him. I welcomed the distraction from grieving my previous cat. We called him Luigi and he is now part of our family. Rescuing him helped me rescue myself.
Image 10: “Princess P”
I adopted her through a local small rescue. This is the first pic of her in our arms. She’s provided me with a sense of purpose, distraction and most importantly – play.
“Closing thoughts: Through the process of gathering images from my phone, I was able to reflect and gain perspective on my personal progress. Learning to “be” rather than defining myself though “doing” was a challenge, but also a gift. I found the light again”