Record Your Life Through Lockdown

How is life in lockdown? Are you working from home, baking for Britain or finally running that 5K every day?

Is your house one of the maniac 6 people under one roof types where you crave 10 minutes of quiet, or are you a single person household looking forward to close-up chatter and the noise of socialising?

As a family, we're very fortunate to have some outdoor space and have most definitely ran with being in the food and drink camp; sour dough bread starters, homemade pizzas, coffee in the garden, cocktails / mocktails at 4pm and dinners that would make Greg Wallace weep for joy. 

To mix things up we're also gardening - all be it this is in order to grow our own food for said cook offs! And the painting of the wall was really only to allow us somewhere nice to enjoy those afternoon drinks.

We are all living through a significant moment in history and for this very reason it is important that we record and preserve real live experiences for the generations to come.

Whatever you're doing, and however you're choosing to make it through, life is undeniably different - and unlikely to be exactly the same again. We are all living through a significant moment in history and for this very reason it is important that we record and preserve real live experiences for the generations to come.

That's why Culture Perth and Kinross is seeking participants to help create a new collection dedicated to this experience.

The local arts charity - known as CPK - has put out a call for people’s photos, objects and reflections on what it’s like to live through the current Coronavirus pandemic. They're asking all of us not to throw away the things that are shaping our lives right now, but to use them instead to help build a picture of lockdown life across the whole of Perth city, Perthshire and Kinross.

GALLERY

Becasue whilst no other crisis in recent history has so completely changed our lives in such a short period of time, it has never been easier to document everyday living. 

Photographs, videos, voice recordings, blogs, social media screen shots and so much more are all at our fingertips, in our pockets and ready to help us mark the moment.

The team behind this great idea would like to know how daily life for you, your family and neighbourhood may have changed as a result of the Coronavirus.The team behind this great idea would like to know how daily life for you, your family and neighbourhood may have changed as a result of the Coronavirus.

You may be working or schooling children from home. You could be caring for others close to you, self-isolating, social distancing or volunteering in the community.

You may be a key worker supporting essential health, welfare or other public services. Or, you may be part of a local business or organisation which is making a difference in other ways.

Everyone can contribute - get your children and wider family involved - and everything collected will become part of the museum and archives permanent collections, ensuring future generations can explore this moment in history.

Gill Findlay, Interim Head of Museums and Collections said:

“It’s so important that people all over Perth and Kinross take part in this project to create a new, contemporary collection which reflects their experience - the stories of individuals, families and communities living through the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic.

"Museum and Archive collections depend on the generosity of, and contributions from, people living locally in order to develop and to stay relevant. This collection will be used for future research, learning and exhibition purposes, and it will be vital in communicating to future generations what this experience was like.”

Individuals and organisations can donate by getting in touch via email to enquiries@culturepk.org.uk detailing what you have. CPK will not be able to accept new items for the collection until buildings begin to re-open, so please keep any potential donations safe until then.

You can also record your story and observations in an online survey and anyone wishing to share their COVID-19 experiences can fill it out here.

For more information please visit Perth & Kinross Covid-19 Collecting Project.

Now, to work out how to preserve a sour dough loaf, several variations of the Kinnoull Street Quarantinis and 4 over-fed grown-ups binge watching Netflix! 

Main image: Marysia MacFarlane, founder of Pictures of Perth and Beyond and one of our frontline heroes at a local Care Home. Daughter and Dog, South Inch Tunnels