Ryan Schmidt COVID-19 Photo Essay
Item
- Title
- Ryan Schmidt COVID-19 Photo Essay
- Subject
- COVID-19 (Disease)
- Description
-
In its most basic form, material culture can be described as a part of society which is based on the artefacts of a society and the context in which they are made and used. For my chronicles of covid-19 submission, I chose to look at some aspects of life during covid-19 from within the limits of my family home and property to embrace the theme of self-isolation and remaining within ones home during these unprecedented times. All pictures included were taken during a timespan from Ireland’s initial covid outbreak to the present day. My aim is to show a brief insight into how covid has affected my otherwise ordinary and mundane life.
Image 1:
This image shows an empty greenhouse with a hastily made stone walkway. In the background you can see soil and trees indicating the rural setting of my home. I chose this picture because I wanted to highlight how we can sometimes be forced to break from our normal routine when put under pressure. This picture was taken recently in March 2022. During this time the costs of both a worldwide pandemic and a war raging in eastern Europe have driven food prices at a much higher rate than ever seen before. Though initially I have always been a sceptic of growing our own food products, my family decided to take the first step towards affordable living by building a greenhouse in our garden. This spring would mark the first time that I would ever sow seeds with my own hands and for me shows how I was forced to break from my usual college routine in order to help my family. I feel that the barren soil and empty greenhouse reflects a feeling of hope and potential. Just like how I hope that one day this greenhouse will help my family by producing fruit and vegetables for us to eat, I also hope that this pandemic will end someday soon. Though this wasn’t the first time I chose to embrace the outdoors during the pandemic it was certainly the first time that I began to appreciate the work that I can do from outside my study room rather than from just within it.
Image 2:
This image shows a less common variant of Saint Brigid’s Cross hanging from a blank white wall. I chose this picture because it expresses how old traditions can sometimes come to light in the wake of new ones. I was originally inspired to make my own Brigid’s Cross after being encouraged to partake in it by my folklore professor in university. Watching her hand me the reeds and rubber bands from her desk brought back memories of when I was a child and we would make them in school. Being raised in a rural Catholic household it would have always been normal to see a cross hanging in the kitchen during the month of February however the tradition seemingly died out as my family became progressively more busy. Because of the pandemic I’ve found myself with more free time during the weekend and so I was able to make and hang my own cross which once again reignited the old tradition of hanging a cross in the kitchen after Saint Brigid’s Day. In this way a new tradition of returning to nostalgic activities during covid brought back an old tradition which had died out in my family for a long time. Needless to say the expression of joy and surprise on my mother’s face made the whole ordeal worthwhile and served as a brief beacon of happiness which temporarily removed us from our new and often worrying environment.
Image 3:
This image shows a positive antigen test being held from my hand which was initially taken by my then sick brother. The lines parallel to the ‘C’ and ‘T’ indicate that the patient has tested positive for covid-19. I chose this image because I wanted to display how the new trend of antigen tests has become a part of our material culture due to the constant nature in which we take them to ensure our safety and confirm our deepest concern. The test in this image was taken by my brother. When our family found out that he was positive for covid-19 he chose to isolate himself in his room and use our guest bathroom for all his daily needs until he was no longer affected with covid. The impact we felt was brief but very noticeable. The effect that this one object had on us meant that I could only see my brother from a window for over a week in order to protect myself and our parents. As we ate dinner together as a family without the presence of my brother it began to feel as if we had lost a member of our family and at times seeing him walk down the hall with a mask on towards the bathroom was completely strange and surreal. It amazes me that even during this time there are still things which I will never quite normalize in my head no matter what the circumstances are.
Image 4:
This image shows a white and brown plumber terrier dog inside a bust. The majority of the picture is taken up by green leaves with some fuchsia dangling from the top left. Just from the bottom right corner you can make out a stone object which is actually part of a wall that I hid behind when taking the photo. I chose this image because for me it shows the importance of preserving memories and appreciating the time we spend with family even during the pandemic itself. Shortly after this picture was taken my dog had passed away. I was struck with a photo of him as a puppy and myself as a five year old that sits above our television. Being 15 years old he was certainly an old dog but looking at the picture of him as a puppy and the last picture I was able to take of him now reminds me of how Irish people in particular have always maintained a certain aspect of material culture that involves keeping important photos around the television and the fire place so that we can treasure old memories. Dealing with the death of my loyal companion during the pandemic was particularly tough due to it being the start of when I would actually have enough time to look after him from home. Nonetheless I think this picture is just one of many that will ultimately define the pandemic for me and my family.
Image 5:
This image shows an old wooden box with a small plastic tree in the centre. In the background some coats can be seen however the main point of discussion is the face masks which are hanging from the tree. I chose this picture because of the significance of this new universal aspect of material culture which involves wearing masks and has exclusively only become normalized in Ireland because of the covid-19 pandemic. Because of an incident where I had once forgotten my mask for university I began to hang my mask on a plastic tree lamp which sat broken and unused in the hallway right by the front door. While I initially did this so as to not forget my mask again because of the tree’s close proximity to the door, my family then began subconsciously hanging their own masks from the tree as well which has now started a rather peculiar trend within my family. I have dubbed this little shrine “the mask tree” now. With the rule on facemasks now lifted the tree has recently fallen into disuse and may end up in the attic soon however it’s fair to say that the rather brief purpose change from a broken ornament to a functioning object highlights how the material culture around us is always evolving and subject to change.
Hopefully through this limited summary of how my life has been affected and moulded by the pandemic the reader has gained some insight into pieces of my family and my home that are now part of my life during covid-19. Whether it be a change in my outdoor routine, the reappearance of an old tradition, or new aspects of material culture brought in out of necessity and fear, my life has been shaped by covid and it has affected the culture and society all around me. It is with this stark reminder of subsequent alteration that I hope we may soon see a culture which more closely resembles an Ireland of the past.
- Creator
- Ryan Schmidt
- Date
- March 2020 - March 2022
- Rights
- Cork Folklore Project
- Publisher
- Cork Folklore Project
- Item sets
- Photo Essays
