How Creators Are Processing the Moment
A photographic collection of global perspectives on the Covid-19 crisis.
The spread of COVID-19 has in just three short months dramatically upended everyday life worldwide. Many of us are now at home sheltering in place, visiting essential stores and services as little as possible, maintaining social distance, and endlessly washing our hands. We’re taking these precautions on a tremendous scale to help curb the spread of this viral pandemic. But how are we processing this crisis on a personal level, especially when we’re so distant from one another?
Disruptive changes have confronted each of us as the situation has unfolded. Capturing and sharing these moments offers an opportunity for us to collectively bear witness to this historic period while trying to make sense of its impact on our own lives.
With that in mind, here is a selection of moments from the crisis that members of the VSCO community from around the world have shared over the past three months.
“The government is sending three to five emergency texts every day to everyone whenever there’s a new infected person near you. They tell us the infectee’s travel path and if they wore a mask and other stuff. Masks are sold in pharmacy stores and you can only buy two masks in one week. People wait in line for more than one hour to get them.” — Tom Kim
“I had suddenly learned that day that I needed to fly home to support my parents during this time. The feeling and mindset I had taking this photo was a sense of departure and anxiety; one that I had never felt before.” — Benjamin Lachlan
“The day I took this picture, I went to my school in order to get some of my books and I saw desks were pulled over. That made me feel miserable because me and my friends used to stand near the window and chat but now there are desks pulled over and nobody at school.” — Idil Yagmur
“What was immediately noticeable is that there were people walking about who were wearing face masks. In restaurants, in the sidewalks, in the bus lines, in the trains. This much was apparent: Coronavirus was not only infecting us, but it was also affecting our psyches.” — James Magenst
“In my pocket I had the certificate that said I was around because I couldn’t work from home. It was around 9 pm, I arrived at my local supermarket to buy some fruits and veggies (I’m vegan, I need this!) and I was shocked. No fruits. No veggies (expect parsley and celery). No meat. No cheese. People had a lot of food in their cart, like we were supposed to be in a war. I remember thinking, ‘They’re crazy.’ ” — Francesca Sara Caruso
“The trip around the store was so ominous. It was so quiet. People avoided eye contact with each other. Shoppers stayed away from each other. There were no ‘excuse me’s.’ People just waited in the distance. I felt like this is what fear looked like. And being there made me take on some of that feeling.” — Chloe Pawloski
“She shared with me her thoughts about the stockpiling and how she would have to buy kitchen paper, which might block her toilets. Somehow I felt that Western civilization’s collapse might come as a result of our bowel movements. I thought that was quite amusing.” — William Debois
“The most drastic change is the silence and empty streets in a city which is a normally vibrant festival party loving place. Even the children who play ball on the streets are now at home.” — Sokari Ekine
“Not only has COVID-19 awoken swaths of people to the dangers posed by pandemics and the myriad of ways it can impact life, but it’s also awoken people to the importance of community, universal access to healthcare, and the paradigm shift of knowing how easily our governments could have intervened in things like climate change or ending homelessness before but haven’t. I don’t think people will accept the status quo as much if we get through this.” — Frank Bell
