Looking Out

(J.Fullerton-Batten – The Photographic Journal, 09/07/20) – Covid-19 came. Life changed. Probably irrevocably. I was numb. Couldn’t stand around, helpless. I decided to document the new daily existence of millions. I advertised my idea on social media and through my local paper in West London. The response was enormous. We made contact by phone and email, arranged details of location, clothing, face-mask and set a date and time; guaranteed no physical contact.

Every three days or so for the past several weeks I have photographed people at home in self-isolation during the evening twilight. Imprisoned in their homes, they gaze forlornly out of their window, onto a different desolate world outside. I asked them a few informal questions about how they were coping. My twelve-year old son helped carry the lighting. It might be only a mini-project but an important one for posterity and very rewarding for me in so many different ways. As yet, I’m undecided what to do with the results, but it will provide an intimate insight into the lives of those who experienced this macabre time. Sadly, many will not have lived to see the end of it!

Julia Fullerton-Batten
Hyper-realism and cinematic are characteristic descriptions of Julia Fullerton-Batten’s images. They are often set in unexpectedly surreal settings with dramatic lighting, communicating simultaneously both tension and mystery. Her latest project is a series of images inspired by her fascination with the River Thames and celebrates ‘the glories of the river’ against a backdrop of historical ad traditional events, anecdotes and legends. Her works are in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery in London, UK and the Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Web site: juliafullerton-batten.com

J.Fullerton-Batten – The Photographic Journal, Looking Out from Within, 2020