Through the People’s Lens: A Quarantine Diary

One of the very first industries that had a sudden and substantial impact by the COVID-19 pandemic was undoubtedly that of the arts and the creative sector.  Due to the global health crisis, by mid-March 2020, most of the cultural institutions across the world had been indefinitely closed. Planned programmes of performances, exhibitions, screenings, events and projects came to an unforeseen halt and these projects were cancelled or postponed. The drastic but needed measures put in place have affected profoundly many artists and arts lovers both directly and indirectly.

Although the premises of St James Cavalier were closed, Spazju Kreattiv has kept the momentum going and provided alternative services through the digital platforms. This has maintained activities with minimal resources and simultaneously an ongoing awareness of different creative works inspired by the global health crises. 

As part of an ongoing journal about living in the age of the Covid-19 pandemic, Through the People’s Lens: A Quarantine Diary has turned out to be an effective and rewarding project and was well-received by the general public with over 140 entries. In collaboration with the TV programme Illum ma’ Steph, the project meant in documenting anything about one’s daily occurrences and experiences around living in quarantine and/or with the social distancing directives through one’s lens. The most expressive submissions were selected and they are exhibited in Space B which also formed part of our quarantine diaries featuring on the online gallery on the Spazju Kreattiv website and online platforms.