Social distance

2nd of May 2022

In light of covid, we've familiarized ourselves with the terms 'social distancing', 'self-isolation', 'pandemic', 'quarantine', etc... Due to this, we've distanced ourselves from each other more than ever. We’ve become individual identities, and we've lost touch of the feeling of the shared experience of life. There has been a loss of the meaning community. We've gotten used to fear the others because of the germs they might be carrying.

The series was shot at the Berlin Central Station. The choice of this location was to capture this phenomenon in a place which represents the crossroads of the world. People leave, return or transit through the city, families and friends seperate or come together again, the train tracks overlapping each other in the impressive architectural structure.

With the mandatory face masks, we've been walking around hiding our faces and only seeing hidden faces. Whilst wearing a mask, only the eyes are visible, making us look different. 

In the first portrait of the series, the subject is mysterious and intriguing. It is hard to read their emotions as their face is covered. The mask is a shield against the outside world ; we’re turned inwards more than ever. Having to isolate, we've been forced to confront ourselves. Prevented from being outgoing and exchanging with people, we've subsequently become more trapped in our heads. Instead of sharing experiences, our mind has learned to cage our feelings and thoughts.

In the two following portraits, by removing her mask and smiling a different person comes to light. We immediately feel closer to her, maybe even relieved that she is smiling.

The strangest phenomenon I've observed from this, is the feeling of nakedness when removing our masks. We feel exposed to the world, maybe even too close to people now. A paradox emerges when investigating the effects of the pandemic in a place of travel and exchange.