The Building Centre, created in 1931 as the home of the built environment, is calling for everyone to take photographs of our empty buildings and streets at this time of lockdown and to create a lasting legacy to form a national archive of this extraordinary time.Â
The outbreak of Covid-19 has changed the lives of people around the globe, with unprecedented shutdowns in many of the world’s most famous cities. We are all in the grip of the virus, and for many people this means being shut off from most of the outside world for an indefinite period, from their place of work, their place of worship, their friends and family and the precious patch of green where their children play.
But as things have changed so dramatically for us, so our towns and cities have changed. Â Previously bustling tourist hotspots are now emptied of people, high streets without customers, shops closed, theatres and cinemas dark. And with that comes a very different urban landscape. While hoping that this will never ever happen again, some creativity might come into our daily lives through capturing this new landscape. Many people have already taken photographs of this strange new world and the media is full of these haunting images.
The Building Centre wants to create a national archive of these images and is inviting amateurs and professionals alike to record their own streets and buildings during this lock-down period. Obviously this must be within the guidelines set out by the Government of limiting our trips out for essential activities. Also many people living in the heart of towns and cities will be able to take photographs safely out of their windows.
Ultimately we will create an archive of the material and launch a major exhibition in The Building Centre’s galleries in Store Street, London.
Log onto buildingcentre.co.uk where you will find further details and an entry form.
