It is estimated that in 2020, over 1.4 trillion photographs will be taken across the world. Were this the work of one person, their life span would exceed 45,000 years. Thankfully, we have the held of around eight billion other people to take selfies with us.
In a new project by Historic England, the public is being invited to submit photographs taken under lockdown, headlined as a “unique time capsule for the future” to detail what life was like under lockdown for everyday people.
Director of regions, Claudia Kenyatta, said: “We want people to show us their experiences of lockdown, how places local to them have transformed, communities have come together, and life has changed for us all.
“These challenging times are encouraging us all to pause and reflect upon our relationship with our surroundings. We hope this project inspires creativity and reflection, allowing the public create a unique time capsule for the future.”
The project, launched on Wednesday, asks people to share images that show how they are responding to lockdown, social distancing and self-isolation. It ends on Tuesday 5 May.
One hundred of the photographs submitted will be archived by Historic England, and ten artists have been asked to produce “special images” as part of the project. Of these photographs, half will be the most “evocative, informative and inspiring” from the general public, and the remaining half will be taken by contemporary artists.
The project marks the very first time the general public has been able to contribute to the archive, home to over 12 million photographs taken since 1939 as a result of the Mass Observation project who took photographs during the World War Two.
