Over the past month five of the MAP6 photographers have been vigorously editing (via Zoom) the images that they made during their trip to Rovaniemi in March. The series is called The Isolation Project and you can now view it on the MAP6 website.
Upon arrival in Rovaniemi they were notified that their return flights were cancelled and that the borders were closing due to the coronavirus pandemic, leaving them potentially stranded. MAP6 had intended to continue working on the Finland project, exploring themes around the world happiness report, however with COVID-19 rapidly taking hold all project meetings were cancelled. The five photographers decided to make photographs in response to their situation, the city shutting down and what was happening with COVID-19 around the world.
The series is very much a spontaneous reaction to their circumstances, and the project idea was improvised during the few days they were there. One of the biggest factors of that period was the constant flow of fear inducing news that was appearing via social media. The distressing, and at times absurd news that they were reading was in complete contrast to the serene arctic city where they found themselves. Included within the edit are some of the headlines that appeared via social media during that time.
