‘Lockdown Horizons’ is a photographic project by photojournalist Guillaume Squinazi developed during the first UK Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. He created a tear-off calendar of images taken from his London home, each marked with a date stamp, to capture his pandemic experience and find a way to mark the passage of time. The piece records the period 23 March to 3 May 2020, at the early height of the UK pandemic and is designed to resemble a traditional almanac. During the 42 days, Squinazi photographed from six different windows, looking in different directions at his surroundings, and capturing subtle changes of light and weather. Notably almost every image is devoid of people.
Writing about the project, Guillaume Squinazi explains that he spent time thinking about ‘how photography could relate to this global quarantine’ and in the end ‘I chose to stay at home and capture my own captivity’. He suggests that ‘through this date-branded work, we are confronted with repetitive, limited horizons. Like a leitmotif, every day resembles another despite the passing weeks that bring varying perspectives. Slowly the images are flipped through, trapped in this hellish calendar and the window closed from the inside.’
His project captures the sense of captivity and isolation felt by many during the lockdown, but also the simple pleasure taken in observing a single changing view. It epitomises the intimate relationship that many formed with a repetitive daily experience, whether walking around their block or watching the same vista.
Science Museum
‘Lockdown Horizons’ was recently added to the collection of the Science Museum in London.
https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/cp168628/guillaume-squinazi
The book ‘Lockdown Horizons’ is available here: https://aparisianinparis.fr/#Horizonsconfines
