ONE YEAR ON: A picture of a pandemic through the eyes of University Freshers
21st September – 6th October 2021
Free Entry
By March 2020 the United Kingdom was in lockdown as a pandemic swept the world. By May 28th, 269,127 people had tested positive for Coronavirus in the UK (gov.co.uk). By Summer 2020, A-level exams had been cancelled. By August, algorithmic A-level grades were announced, swiftly followed by a set of teacher predicted grades. Places were secured, or offered, at universities, accommodation was sorted, hopes were high; daily cases were down to near 180. Some sense of normality could return to this group of young people starting university.
By mid September there were over 7000 covid cases per day (gov.co.uk). Freshers week was not going to be as hoped, or planned. By October 12th, The Guardian was reporting that Covid-19 in the student population was seven times higher than that of the general population.
This exhibition shows a picture of student life during their first weeks at university; Graphic Design first year students documented their experience through sensory portraits. They looked at their objects, their spaces, and their realities – and how that impacted their behaviours, their attitudes to learning and their physical and mental well being. It is an insight to a moment in time unlike any other Freshers experience.
With thanks to our fantastic and resilient first years:
Thomas Adey, Zofia Aerts, Ellie Agar-Brennan, Buruk Amanuel, Charlie Barlow, Thomas Boddy, Amber Bruzzi, Adam Burrell, Olivia Cairns, Danny Campbell, Madalina Caras Eray, Hannah Carter, Wisit Cavanagh, Michaela Cermakova, Tom Cochrane, Daniel Cooper, Mia Cooper, Katie Crawford, Georgia Deacon, Dylan Dickinson, Daniela Dimitrova, Charlotte Donaldson, Benjamin Farman, Natalia Filipowska, Ailish Forbes, Luke Freary, Faith Freeman, William Green, Christopher Hill, Archie Hornsby, Ella Huddleston, Evie-Mae Irving, Brooke Keene, Katerina Kejzlarova, James Ketch, Charlotte Kettel, Rugile Kniazyte, Ellie Larkin-Taylor, Samuel Leishman, Alichia Liddle, Yingchun Ma, Stephen Mcauley, James Mcclusky, Abbie Mccree, Brandon Mccrostie, Elliott Mckenna, Jordan Mcmillan, Israh Mendiola, Nevatha Merugan, Charlotte Michael, Wiktoria Mierzwa, Martyna Migawa, Ryan Miller-Wallace, Samuel Morris, Bryony Murrell, Victor Mwanda, Riley Nelson, Olivia Newson, Sophie Nichols, Daniel Orford, Lauren Park, Isaac Parker, Samuel Purdy, Declan Rogers, Catherine Rose, Carmelina Sapia, Alicja Sewell, Rhian Sharkey, Dominic Simmons, Freya Simper, Joseph Simpson, Faye Skelton-Mooney, Barbora Skromovaite, Benjamin Smith, Willow Smith, Jack Stedman, Sophie Stephenson, Ben Straughan, Sian Symons, Leah-Amal Taba-Dobbs, Olivia Toby, Meghan Troy, Grahitha Tsapallasetty Srinivas, Nikola Turas, James Vickers, Milena Wachowiec, William Walton, Tyler Wilby, Henry Wilson, Ilana Wood, Tia Wray, Lixin Xue, Gabija Zmuidaite.
The very best of luck with your second year.