LOCKDOWN JOURNAL: COVID-19.50 (Roseytints aka. Deborah Davies)

An Introduction to the Blog of @roseytintz by Bruce Davies

Firstly, in introducing this post, I would like to point out that much has been said in various quarters over the last few months about how to spend time when furloughed.

Some have commented that this should be a great time for doing all of those things that you always felt that you should, or wanted to do but never had the time. Another school of thought is that if decide to do nothing at all, that also is fine as it becomes a time for rest and recuperation, also something that is difficult to do during normal time. This of course assumes many things. First it assumes that you are not having to work, which many still have to as they are considered ‘Key Workers’, and their contribution is essential at this time whilst essential behaviour for many of us is to remove ourselves from circulation. So it is important to keep them in mind when having debates about how time is spent on public forums as those ‘Key Workers’ do not have an option. The second thing that it presupposes is that those who have been removed from circulation by the government have been treated respectfully by the companies that they would normally give their time to in return for a wage. This of course is not always the case and so I (Bruce) am aware of my own good fortune, working for a company that has elected to continue paying me whilst I am unable to work. I am equally aware that many have not, and so the idea of being able to make significant positive changes to one’s life is still beyond their grasp. Again, another reason to be careful when discussing the terms of how we spend time.

This post hopefully reflects some of the dichotomies of the very singular situation that we as a nation are currently having to deal with. Here at Basement we have had our yearly programme laid waste to by the lack of ability to invite the public into our home to view exhibitions, as we have been doing for the last decade (nearly). As a family we have also been unable to go to work and college as normal. To suddenly be presented with all of the time in the world seems like an absolute blessing but there is a certain mindset to be conquered in these circumstances. Many commentators in the media, and government, have talked about holidays and “addiction to furlough”. Whilst we may now have all of the time in the world, so have all of our freedoms been curtailed. What is given with one hand is then taken away by the other. “Just stay at home'“ is actually a really difficult request for creatures who are essentially social animals and thrive on interaction.

Whilst we have managed to transfer our focus from Real World projects to Virtual Tours and the Lockdown Journal which has seen contributions from twenty seven artists over the course of fifty posts; of which this post is number fifty. Here I turn to the other 50% of BasementArtsProject: Deborah Davies.

Ratchet School - an art project

Over the last one hundred and something days Debs has also had to decide how she has spent the majority of her time. This has been realised in what has jokingly been referred to, by herself, as ‘Ratchet Home School’. We do now also have two useable gardens front and back, slowly building stocks of herbs, potatoes, carrots, nasturtiums, tomatoes and other assorted plants. Gardening days have also involved sitting in it for coffee breaks with the children, reading and generally trying to enjoy the feeling of sun as much as possible. Debs is also an avid thrift shopper and has a supernatural gift for finding expensive bargains in Leeds’ charity shops. Whilst they have all been closed she has instead been revelling in creating a thrift fashion Instagram page, a blog relating to daily life during a pandemic and even learning to knit.

Want to get ahead . . . . get a hat!

Bruce DaviesBasementArtsProject