Tadhg Devlin

The Covid-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on all of us, transforming the way we live, work and socialise. Open Eye Gallery and Cheshire West and Chester Council have been working with residents and communities from across the borough to reflect on this time and preserve their thoughts for future generations in a project called Covid-19 Reflections.

Using portraiture, staged imagery, video and audio recordings, photographer Tadhg Devlin has captured the diversity of experiences and views on life for those living rurally during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Whilst some felt particularly isolated in their setting, others felt their industries were protected through initiatives like the furlough scheme. The project has resulted in two artworks: a photographic series co-designed and produced with young people from Malpas, mirroring their day-to-day experiences of lockdown, and a video piece representing a range of collective rural voices.