The year 2020 has been a lot to handle. A real hot mess, and then some. Earlier this year as COVID-19 began its reign around the world, we reached out to 5 photographers from different corners of the globe to find out what they’ve been reading, watching, eating, and how their artistic practice has been influenced during self-isolation and COVID-19.
This is what they had to say…
Name: Xuebing Du
Where are you from and where are you self-isolating right now?
I am from China but I moved to the U.S. seven years ago. Now I’m living in Cupertino, CA.
What have you been reading during quarantine?
To be honest, I’m not a reader. I prefer to watch and listen. However, I do read inspirational quotes and short poems from time to time.
What have you been watching?
Actually, plenty of movies, and interviews. Some are purely for visual references for my future work. Lately I revisited some Hongkong movies, crime films, and sci-fi movies. It can be quite random.
What have you been ingesting (fav food & beverages)?
I ordered fresh seafood a couple times recently which I absolutely love. For this season, oysters are my favorite. I love its textures, and it’s great for summer. I’ve also been drinking fresh orange juice, lemon tea, flower tea from Qi and lots of water.
How has COVID-19 been impacting on your creative process and routine?
With the weather warming up, and flowers blooming, nature is calling us. Luckily we are still allowed to go out for hikes and admire the beautiful transition of seasons. Besides that, I’ve been taking care of myself and filling myself with new ideas and knowledge, that way I can slowly form ideas for my next project. Personally I feel focused and nurtured during this time. I hope everybody uses this time wisely and gains something out of it instead of being affected by negative events happening all around the world. Hopefully this situation will be over soon, so we can all go out and do things!
Can you show us the view from your window where you’ve been self-isolating
Name: Mitya Ganopolsky
Where are you from and where are you self-isolating right now?
I’m from St. Petersburg, Russia, and this is where I also am right now.
What have you been reading during quarantine?
I’m very interested in history, so I’ve been reading a lot about the Russian Revolution – thick biographies, as well as works of Kropotkin and Lenin. However, I also read a few articles on urbanism by Adolf Loos and Luis Virt.
What have you been watching?
I’ve been watching films mostly, no TV shows. Nothing really worth mentioning, except for the two oldies – The very bizarre Weekend by Jean-Luc Godard and the touching Death In Venice by Luchino Visconti.
What have you been ingesting (fav food & beverages)?
Cooking is one of my fortes. I love making soups: Russian shi and borsh, but there was a mung dal and a mussel chowder I also made once, I think. Pasta and risotto too, of course. Not much meat at all – I prefer fish or vegetarian meals.
How has COVID-19 been impacting on your creative process and routine?
Normally, by now I’d be very busy giving tours around St. Petersburg, as I work part-time as a tour guide, and I’d be shooting quite a bit, too. With the COVID-19 outbreak most of my work assignments got cancelled or postponed. There will be no tourist here this year, I’m afraid. There’s no strict quarantine in Russia yet, but most of the enterprises are closed and people are meant to be self-isolating.
Can you show us the view from your window where you’ve been self-isolating
Name: Lucas Christiansen
Where are you from and where are you self-isolating right now?
I was born in Berlin, but I grew up in a city called Bamberg in the south of Germany, and in Denmark at my Dad’s place, a small town called Karrebaeksminde. These days I am spending my time in Berlin.
What have you been reading during quarantine?
It might sound odd, but unfortunately I didn’t really have a lot of time to read during quarantine. I was quite busy with a lot of things to be honest. But If this still counts as “reading” I went through many vintage magazines (and new ones too) and photo books.
What have you been watching?
I was watching a lot of concerts the last weeks. From Elvis Presley, Queen, Led Zeppelin and Chris Isaak to Chemical Brothers. Everything from the 50s – present. I watched a concert almost everyday. I love good live performances from musicians, it’s pure art and really inspiring. But besides that, I was watching tons of movies. A lot from David Lynch, Werner Herzog, Michelangelo Antonioni and various of other stuff. I also watched Tiger King and I finished watching Too Hot to Handle in one day on Netflix … haha
What have you been ingesting (fav food & beverages)?
I’m going wild on making brunch these days. I have been eating a lot of asparagus, mushrooms and salmon. Bamberg, the place where I grew up is known for it’s unique smoky beer. At the moment we always have this on stock too. It’s really tasty!
How has COVID-19 been impacting on your creative process and routine?
I have to say I can not really complain to be in Berlin during COVID. Even though life is different, you can still manage to have a nice time here. Of course I have days, which are more gloomy than others, but I finally had time to work on a lot of images from the past. I edited a lot of outtakes or personal photos. Also these days I have more of a routine than before. The last year I was traveling a lot back and forth, especially to Paris, where I also lived for some time, and it was quite demanding. On the other side I also miss being busy abroad too.
Can you show us the view from your window where you’ve been self-isolating
Name: Elsa Seignol
Where are you from and where are you self-isolating right now?
I am from Paris and I’ve been self-isolated here at my home. I was actually about to go away for a few months when it all happened, so it was a weird feeling to kind of move back into my own home.
What have you been reading during quarantine?
I actually found it hard to read during quarantine, I couldn’t focus on a novel or long texts. I read short stories by James Baldwin, a comic book by Ulli Lust but mostly articles. I was buying magazines and trying to read from different sources online. I was also really interested to see how photographers were telling their stories in quarantine across the world. But I guess I probably listened to more podcasts than read during this time. They could be series on a theme or true crime but also podcast analyzing the situation with guests and different voices and specialists.
What have you been watching?
I watched mostly tv series but also a few films. I realized old movies were very efficient for getting my mind off things.
In terms of which tv series I watched, I watched Run, Insecure, Mrs. America, The bureau, The Last Dance… I also watched Instagram live stories about photography. While the format isn’t really optimal for it and annoying at times, it was quite incredible to have access to all these resources/people that you wouldn’t usually have. It was very enlightening to hear publishers, photo editors, festival curators, people that are usually on the other side, and that you meet for portfolio reviews, giving their tips and explaining how they work. There was also a numerous amount of amazing photographers that you would never get to meet in normal life, who were talking about their work, and telling anecdotes online…
What have you been ingesting (fav food & beverages)?
A lot of food ! By the end of the quarantine I got a bit fed up, but I think I didn’t eat the same thing twice for about a month and a half! Roasting, grilling, marinating veg, fish, and meat. Making dumplings, preserving foods in jars, boiling stews for very long hours. I also ate way more sweets than I usually do, so I decided to make cakes and cookies too. I drank cold Korean tea during the day and naturally wine and beers at night.
How has COVID-19 been impacting on your creative process and routine?
Being more of a documentary photographer/street photographer it’s been really hard creatively for my own practice. I’ve never been very creative inside so I didn’t take a lot of photos but instead it gave me time to reconsider old work, take a step back and understand how my practice has evolved and how I could link things together in a form of a book. I think the worst impact for me in the long term is the cancellation of festivals. Every year they are a great source of inspiration, discovery, networking. I was counting on them for different projects so even at the end of the quarantine it seems like things will take a long time to restart.
Can you show us the view from your window where you’ve been self-isolating
Name: Kim Walvisch
Where are you from and where are you self-isolating right now?
I’m from Melbourne, Australia. I’ve been self-isolating in a small 1960s apartment in the suburbs for about eight weeks now. I live with my husband Greg, my 8 year old daughter Peggy & an enormous greyhound named Billie. Somehow we all fit.
What have you been reading during quarantine?
Quite honestly, I haven’t spent a huge amount of time reading books, but when I’m in the mood, I’ve started The Darkest Web by Eileen Ormsby. It’s about the various corners of the dark web – hitmen for hire, drug markets & that kind of thing. It’s very interesting.
I’m still reading all the time, but mostly online articles & news. I’ve also had a lot more time to look through my assorted photography books. I have a huge pile I’ve been flipping through next to my bed. I rediscovered how much I love a book simply called Harry Gruyaert (Thames & Hudson). It’s a collection of the Belgian photographer’s work.
What have you been watching?
I just watched the new Spike Jonze doco The Beastie Boys Story & totally loved it. Such a warm, nostalgic tribute to MCA, the band’s fallen comrade. It’s funny & a bit theatrical, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I recently watched Unorthodox on Netflix. That made me want to revisit Berlin! It’s shot beautifully & gave such a respectful sneak peek into Hasidic culture.
I’m a big supporter of the Innocence Project, the U.S non-profit legal organisation that helps exonerated wrongly convicted people, so I’m halfway through The Innocence Project on Netflix. This deals with some of the exoneration cases.
What have you been ingesting (fav food & beverages)?
It was my birthday on Sunday & Greg baked me an insanely delicious double-layered carrot cake with cream cheese icing. I was sad to finish it off today! He recently made a Hungarian potato & sausage soup, but a vegetarian version. Really nourishing! I seem to live on spicy sauerkraut, I probably eat more than I should admit. There’s also a lot of cheese being consumed. It’s getting cold here, so I’ve been enjoying toasted cheese on nice crusty bread.
How has COVID-19 been impacting on your creative process and routine?
It’s had a very dramatic impact, as I simply haven’t been able to get out to take photos. Usually, I walk around Melbourne at least three times a week, just taking photos of whatever I happen to spot. I’ve done this for the past eight years, so it’s been really difficult not being able to do what I love to do. This is the longest period I’ve had without taking photos in years – it’s been a bit torturous.
One thing I’ve been doing to keep distracted, is sort through my archives. I have thousands and thousands of shots, so I’ve been able to bring some of those to life. I’ve enjoyed re-editing and re-cropping some of my early shots & that’s been keeping me busy on Instagram. I’m hoping some of the restrictions will be lifted soon in Melbourne so I can travel to nearby areas just to take photos. At the moment, we can only leave home for exercise or essential shopping.
Can you show us the view from your window where you’ve been self-isolating
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