Let down the Portcullis!
Mariana Elsesser
London, UK
Artist site
Instagram @m.i.creeper
Artist Statement
From June 1st, lockdown restrictions are being further eased across the UK. For the 2.2 million people shielding in the UK, alarm bells are ringing. Originally advised by the government to take extra steps to protect themselves when lockdown started, they have now been told that it is safe for them to go outside – but there is insufficient scientific evidence to support this claim.
With warnings from the WHO of a potential second peak, shielders have been left wondering how they continue to stay safe without extra support from the government. In other countries, shielders have been given designated time slots to go outside for example, whereas in the UK no such initiatives have been employed.
Let down the Portcullis! is a playful response to the extreme measures vulnerable people may have to take in order to keep themselves safe.
What if we decided to makeover their homes into mini fortresses, complete with moat and portcullis? Yes, this is, of course, ridiculous, but asking vulnerable people to put their lives on the line without providing them with the extra support needed is also ridiculous, and also deeply unfair as the rest of society begins to move on.
Share
Contacts
If you are an organisation or NGO seeking our help as creative catalyst to think differently about your environmental campaign strategies, to devise and deliver creative thinking workshops and trainings for your staff, or if you are interested in exposing our touring exhibition Hidden Paths, please contact David by email.
If you are an artist, creative, or change maker generally interested in joining the Swarm collective or finding out more about what we do and would like to do, please fill in the below mail form below and one of our team will get back to you in a week or two. Alternatively, follow and ping us on facebook or twitter.
If you want to help spread the word and make the swarm grow with a donation, please click here