Humans of Hammersmith & Fulham: Coronavirus Edition

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By Savraj Kaur, Executive Director

2020 kicked off to a positive start with the first installation of ‘Humans of Hammersmith & Fulham’ touring exhibition at our first venue, the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith. It included a launch party, hosted by UNITED in Hammersmith & Fulham patron Lord Dubs, accompanied by laughter, flowing drinks and emotional exchanges.

Many people enjoyed viewing the portraits and reading the sitters’ stories in the weeks that followed. The exhibition then moved to the Skittle Alley at the Black Lion W6, where the display was browsed alongside slow riverside lunches and evening visits.

And I was in the process of planning the next display in a gorgeous historic room at Fulham Palace, complete with a garden party slot, when the virus hit.

But where most odds, including my own workload, were stacked against the continuation of Humans of Hammersmith & Fulham, I felt it even more necessary to continue with the project.

Why?

Because our community still exists even if behind closed doors.

Because we should understand what our neighbours are going through.

Because we’re able to share with the technology we have.

And because it’s healthy, as humans, to stay connected.

 

‘Humans of Hammersmith & Fulham: Coronavirus Edition’

I’m delighted to start to collect stories showcasing and preserving ‘pandemic life’ in our borough. This will be share on Instagram and Facebook, with a shorter text versions on Twitter. And (much, much) later be displayed in a digital touring exhibition where we will invite you to come and celebrate how we got through it all.

To me, Humans of Hammersmith & Fulham has always been about the value every individual brings to the borough, and offering an equal platform to be seen and heard. It doesn’t matter if you’re struggling alone, doing the best you can, over-eating, or working in a large response effort – your story matters as much as the next person.

We are all in this together and everyone at UNITED in Hammersmith & Fulham hopes it helps people to feel more in touch.

 

You can take part by emailing us at team@unitedhf.org with ‘YES, I’ll be a Human’ in the subject line. We’ll contact you to arrange a time to be interviewed over Zoom.