HOW SOCIETY HAS CHANGED

Artist Jayne Lawless is exploring this theme with residents and a foodbank based at Westminster Community Centre, in Ellesmere Port.

How Society Has Changed on Film

Society had to work in different ways when the UK entered lockdown, with community groups, foodbanks and neighbourhoods working in partnership with essential services and becoming a lifeline to people in need. Artist Jayne Lawless explored this theme with residents and a foodbank based at Westminster Community Centre, in Ellesmere Port. Filmmaker Jason Lock documented the process.

Q&A with Jayne Lawless

What’s your background?

I'm a socially engaged artist from Liverpool and have worked in communities across Merseyside, Europe and the USA, building relationships and responding with art projects that directly reflect the people and places I'm working with. I founded Dead Pigeon Gallery in 2017, a project that primarily exists to give opportunities to working class artists and have art exhibitions/events in unusual spaces. I also set up a sketch club in 2018 which is a simple and effective way of bringing art into communities that may not ordinarily access art activity, including an ongoing relationship with Fans Supporting Foodbanks as a volunteer and artist.

Why did you want to work on this project

It just resonated with so many projects I was already working on and also made me start to reflect on my own covid experience and that of my own community - life moves so fast it's a good opportunity to take note and record some of what we learned during that time. I wanted the opportunity to also work and meet people I don't know, and hear their stories of their Covid experiences. We can become so insular so it's a brilliant way to open up again and share what we know and ultimately inspire and help each other out. There's tons of ways to communicate and opening this up to artists is a great way to start that ball rolling.

What are your initial ideas of how it might take shape?

From early conversations my thoughts have definitely gone down the route of initially recording verbally and visually first-hand accounts from people involved in projects during covid that took them from their usual roles. What we do with the stories is then open, I do have many ideas but don't want to say too much at this stage so to leave space for interaction and input from people involved directly. I've always worked in a responsive way so I like to leave room for organic development. I do think a sprinkle of sketch clubs along the way could be a good addition to the project too, it's a great way to get to know people and for me to also get to know areas 'over the water' as we say in Liverpool!

What is your reflection on the pandemic?

That I haven't reflected on it - I don't think most people have. We (globally) seem to have been on a continuous rollercoaster for the past few years. My one thought is that Covid was all of us, the entire planet, happening at the same time and in years to come it will really sink in how seismic a shift it really was.