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On using creative work to capture pandemics, such as HIV and AIDS, and the Coronavirus pandemic

Oftentimes in life we have to face extreme situations–man- or nature-made–that, in turn, force us to look at life through a new lens, and compel us to capture the experience for ourselves and for those who come after us.

It’s not unusual for creatives to inspiration in these kinds of experiences; after all, they can be life-changers, for better or for worse. Take the HIV and AIDS pandemic, for example. Many works of art and activist art have been inspired by that ongoing pandemic, in particular when at its height. A few examples come to mind: plays (some then made into movies) like Angels in America, RENT; also, the AIDS quilt; activist art like Silence = Death and other posters; books by AIDS-journalists like Randy Shilts and, more recently, other authors; or visual art work by award-winning photographers like Kurt Weston, and so on.

Fast-forward to 2020, when we’re faced with yet another extreme situation–the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The experience of trying to make it out of it alive, of surviving this particular never-ending pandemic has also inspired and compelled many creatives to capture it–in words, images, moving images, and other art forms.

While I wasn’t here during the eighties and early nineties, to capture the dark years of HIV and AIDS, I’m here today, during the not-so-bright days of Coronavirus and Covid-19, and I’d like to share a few images I’ve captured so far in this post:
[read more at https://alinaoswald.com/2020/07/21/coronavirus-inspired-creative-work/

Here's what to consider if you're thinking of resuming photographing people this Covid-19 summer. Read more at https://alinaoswald.com/2020/07/14/photographing-people-during-coronavirus-pandemic/

A visual interpretation of the meaning and symbolism of 7pm cheer for Covid-19 first responders during and post coronavirus pandemic

“Silence Equals Death, so let’s make some noise,” I wrote in a 2012 interview with artist/activist Nancer LeMoins for A&U Magazine–America’s AIDS Magazine. [As I also mentioned in my June 2019 A&U cover story, the Silence = Death poster has been a symbol of “AIDS activism and AIDS activism history.” In recent years, it “has become a symbol of activism, in a much larger sense.”] [read more: https://alinaoswald.com/2020/07/07/its-7pm-somewhere-a-visual-remembrance/ ]

‘Tis the last day of June, and halfway into this year, we still find ourselves on a never-ending, roller-coaster ride.

[here are six notes for the first six months of this year, including Pride Month 2020, interviews about photography art and representing Coronavirus pandemic through art, my brand new Silence = Death Covid-19 mask, and much more; read on: https://alinaoswald.com/2020/06/30/a-few-updates-at-half-year-mark/ ]

Photo Project Ideas in a Time of Coronavirus

Winter is supposedly over. Easter came and went. Summer is around the corner (or so they say), and Coronavirus is still with us, keeping most of us inside our homes.

For a creative, this could be a great time to:

read more at https://alinaoswald.com/2020/04/28/what-to-photograph-in-a-time-of-covid19/

Capturing the Coronavirus pandemic in words and images

To borrow from Jonathan Larson’s “Seasons of Love” [RENT, the musical], I wonder how do we measure a month in a life defined by the Coronavirus? I’ve never lived through a pandemic. I’ve been covering HIV and AIDS for almost twenty years, oftentimes through the stories of long-term survivors, but I’ve never lived through the crisis of the early days of that pandemic.

So, how does one really capture the story of a pandemic, while living through the pandemic themselves? Journaling? Documenting each day in thoughts and worries, text and visuals, news updates?

Read more at https://alinaoswald.com/2020/03/31/coronavirus-pandemic-snapshots/

Also, for more covid19-related and other images, feel free to visit me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/alina.oswald/

As individuals we often find ourselves having to face many kinds of extreme situations–man-made or nature-made. Oftentimes, these extreme situations change our lives and our views on life.

So, how about today, in a time of Coronavirus?

COVID-19 has forced many of us–on a collective and individual level–to pause, to take time out. In particular on an individual level, the virus has given many of us the courage to use this time for self-reflection, for reassessing priorities in our lives and our work.

Read more at: https://alinaoswald.com/2020/03/17/reflecting-on-self-creative-work-and-life-in-a-time-of-coronavirus/

More thoughts on self-portraits and self-portraiture, in black and white and shallow depth of field.

Photographing Love - a #tbt post

Happy Valentine’s Day! Today, in particular, most of us celebrate love…or maybe lack thereof. But how do we, creatives, define love (or lack thereof) and how do we express or capture love in our work?

Read more at https://alinaoswald.com/2017/02/14/valentines-day-photographing-love/

Hand (Self-)Portraits: On the Visual Language of Hand Gesture Captured in Black and White

Read more at https://alinaoswald.com/2020/02/11/hand-gesture-a-visual-language-in-black-and-white/