Alone/Together (Covid 2020)

An expression of the fear and isolation catalyzed during the dark months of Covid lock-down

 Mixed media accordion book, two-sided, 12 panels
Folded: 6" X 6" 
Unfolded: 6" H x 27" W 

I made this book during the first months of Covid, when every outing, every interaction, every external surface, carried a threat. 

Like so many, for me life outside my home (or car or computer) seemed dark and frightening, and I relied heavily on barriers and containers - emotional and physical - to feel safe. 

But the cost of that sense of safety was high. That constant mediation between me and life outside of my home caused me to feel increasingly disconnected and removed. I wondered how we could live so invisibly from one another. "Life" seemed so far away, not just in other parts of the country or world, but even inside the other houses on our street.

Needing an outlet for this distress and disorientation, I began creating this book using the concept of windows (physical and digital) and the "windows" in business envelopes. Its darkness and blurriness speak directly of those months in 2020.