Lockdown Art and Creativity in Scotland Exhibition
Fraser Stewart I'm a photographer. I've lived in Edinburgh and East Lothian for over 20 years.
From the first day of the lockdown I went around my home town of Dunbar trying to capture the strangeness of this sudden and unreal situation; the streets were empty and the few people I saw were unsure whether to talk to me or even be near me. Parks, shops, the beaches were totally devoid of people; no activities, absolutely nothing. In Edinburgh it was eerie seeing the heart of a dynamic city centre stilled and silent; one could clearly hear birds chirping and the air did smell fresher.
Capturing how people reacted to this period of enforced idleness and isolation was a challenge; some people adapted with exercise and solitude while families created a bubble. In the early stage of the lockdown some people wore mask while others, the majority, just kept socially distanced.
I felt the urge to try and capture as much as I could knowing that we were living through a historical period. This selection of images was a personal reflection of what I was seeing and feeling.