I
n March 2020, while the coronavirus
began its universal spread, my world
in New York City became my
apartment. I knew that to keep safe I
wouldn’t be able to access my studio, so I
brought my camera home and constructed
a small studio next to a window.
I began my days looking at the New
York Times and The Washington Post
online, hoping to find a glimmer of positive
news. What I found and became obsessed
with were the maps, charts and headlines,
all of which were tracking the
coronavirus’s spread. I printed them out to
see how the disease had multiplied and
moved, soon realizing that each of these
little visual changes affected millions of
people. With time, photographs of people
who had died began to appear in the news.
Grids of faces filled the screen; many died
alone, without family or friends beside
them.
This series reflects my emotions and
thoughts through the past year and a half.
By photographing data and images,
combined with botanicals, my intent was
to speak to the humanity of those affected
by this pandemic. I used motion in the
images to help convey the chaos and
apprehensions we were all experiencing. I
now see that this assemblage is a visual
diary of my life during the pandemic.Beth Galton is a photographer in New York.40 NOVEMBER 28, 2021 THE WASHINGTON POST MAGAZINE 41