Katrina Campbell's photographs of people standing at their front doors during the 2020 Covid lockdown will be on show at Arbeit Studios in Palmers Green on two successive weekends this month.
Two of the many photographs that Katrina Campbell took of people on their doorsteps during the first lockdown in 2020
When the first lockdown was announced, Katrina, who lives in Grange Park, started photographing her neighbours on their doorsteps, out of a curiosity to find out how they were really getting on. She was surprised at how keen people were to share their stories, being remarkably open and candid about their hopes and fears.
Photographic exhibition: When We All Stayed at Home
| Arbeit Studio & Gallery Space Rear of 310 Green Lanes N13 5TT |
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| Friday 19 September | 6.00pm - 8.00pm |
| Saturday 20 September | 12.00pm - 4.00pm |
| Sunday 21 September | 12.00pm - 4.00pm |
| Saturday 27 September | 12.00pm - 4.00pm |
| Sunday 28 September | 12.00pm - 4.00pm |
At the time, the photographs and stories were shared on social media, and as the project grew Katrlna was inundated by messages from people wanting to get involved. By September 2020, there were over 100 photographs and stories from the local area, covering Grange Park, Bush Hill Park, Palmers Green, Winchmore Hill, Southgate, Enfield and Edmonton. The full set was self-published in a book called When We All Stayed at Home - a rich, honest, heartfelt and at times emotional record of a unique moment in our collective history.
On the last two weekends of September Katrina will be bringing some of the photographs and stories to the Arbeit Gallery in Palmers Green. There's no charge - just pop in during the opening hours (see below). On Saturday 27th September, at 2pm, Katrina will be joined by Palmers Green resident Maggie Westhead for a question and answer session about their lockdown experiences - you will have to reserve places for their talk.
When We All Stayed at Home - Q&A with Katrina Campbell and Maggie Westhead
2.00pm, Saturday 27th September
Arbeit Studio & Gallery Space, Rear of 310 Green Lanes N13 5TT
Maggie Westhead with husband Tim and children Evie, Lola and William, photographed at their front door by Katrina Campbell during the first lockdown
One of the families that Katrina photographed during the first lockdown was that of Palmers Green resident Maggie Westhead. More recently, Maggie was one of the people that Katrina recorded audio interviews with - click on the link below to hear her thoughts about living through that extraordinary time.
On Saturday 27th September, you can join Maggie and Katrina as they discuss how they coped with lockdown and how they look back on it five years later.
Step inside this exhibition, look at the portraits, read and listen to the stories, and be transported back to that period that we all lived through. No one may wish to revisit the sense of isolation and uncertainty that accompanied lockdown, but perhaps it’s worth remembering the things we learnt to appreciate more keenly - the value of human contact, a stronger sense of community, the opportunity to pause, the restorative powers of being in nature.
Katrina Campbell is a photographer living in Grange Park, Enfield. She is often busy taking portraits of people from all walks of life from artists, to barristers, to families. Her work also includes photographing community projects and the healthier streets of Enfield where Journeys & Places (Enfield Council) have made improvements for people’s wellbeing. She is currently working on a project photographing teenagers at home exploring the changing relationship with their families as they gain independence. In September she is starting an MA in photojournalism and documentary photography at the University of Arts London.
