The experience of being a first-year during co-vid
Clodagh Thorpe
My work is based on a photo that was taken from the car park opposite my accommodation on the first night I was dropped off at university. I created a collagraph of the windows by layering cardboard templates then created an ink print using the collagraph. I then used emails that I have received throughout the year about university life and the course to create a collage to fill ‘my window’.
I feel that in the photo and the print, the darkness of all the other windows shows the feeling of isolation and loneliness that I know I have felt, at times, when not being able to physically meet or engage with those on the course or in the building. I also tried to keep all of the windows the same colour and to express them in a relatively similar way in order to represent the anonymity of this year – that feeling of not really knowing the people that are surround you. I also extended the windows off the sides of the frame as if they went on and on, therefore showing how it was easy to feel insignificant in this huge building or organization that you were unable to engage in.
My aim with the background of my window was to represent the online aspect of this year. The phrases are all stacked on top of each other, giving a sense of pressure, as if they are weighing upon the individual. I too have felt this sense of being overwhelmed at times during the year, waiting for emails that have had to be the main source of engagement with university and trying to understand frequently changing information. Whilst trying to engage with a difficult course online without the casual discussion that I would have with my peers.
At the beginning of the year, when that photo was taken, I had a different expectation of how the year would turn out. When starting to think about this project, I felt a sense of frustration and disappointment, largely centred around the fact that it hadn’t lived up to those expectations. However, as I created my project, I was provided with a chance to really consider each of the aspects that this past year had offered. So, when thinking about the impact of this slightly different medical experience, I found an outlet for all of these emotions. By completion, I felt I had come to look at everything all the more objectively and consequently, felt more accepting of the experiences of the past year.
Creative Prize 2021 – Highly Commended
This piece seems to perfectly describe the feelings of isolation and despair that was undoubtedly felt by the majority of university students during covid, but one can also see how it represents much of societies feelings at this time too. I really like the continuity and similarity of the dark windows surrounding the one lit room; the light seems like a spotlight that could have almost landed on any room and you would still see the same picture; it seems to highlight how during this time you rarely got to know those around you but they were experiencing the exact same emotions and thoughts. I think it is particularly poignant that this photo was taken at the beginning of the year as one could interpret from this photo a sense of in trepidation but excitement for the process of finally going to university for the “best years of your life” but unfortunately it was quite the contrary. The use of words with strong connotations with covid in the window amplify the plight of the students stuck in their residences.
This artwork reminds me a lot of the experiences I’ve had at university – especially last year with the daily emails to remind us that all work will remain online, but its still highly recommended that we continue living in our halls instead of going home, incase anything suddenly changes. In the drawn piece, you can see the medical student underneath the pressure of these emails and the work that they’re doing, with the light in their room on whilst all others around them are off – as medical students often dont get the chance to switch off and relax, especially when a course as intense as this, is completed on a laptop from the singular room of a uni dorm.
I am able to relate to this piece myself, it sums up the many emotions that I and many others were feeling during this period. The darkness that surrounds the figure in this artwork conveys the loneliness of being stuck in accommodation throughout the year. This was a similar experience to me being “trapped” In my room forced to attend online lectures without connecting to anyone outside of my house. In the artwork you can see the medical student slouched with their head in their hands. This expresses the building pressure of the workload, without the relief of being able to socialise with people outside of their accommodation. The artwork demonstrates the situation that students around the country were experiencing. I think many students would be able to connect with this piece and understand the emotions it exhibits.