STRANGE DAYS / STRANGE DAZE
In March 2020, the city streets of Sydney emptied in days, businesses evacuated, and all plans were cancelled. Thinking back to moments I had so recently spent on packed corners at the close of day, the other-worldliness of the city without people was quite surreal. Documenting the increasingly strange days, as they unfolded, gave me a purpose and a way to anchor myself to the moment - the here and now of it all - without having to worry about what the next days, weeks or months would hold.
The decision for me to photograph daily and desperately during what would soon be recognised global pandemic was a surprisingly easy one to make. Despite the government closing shop, the streets left vacant, venues locked and businesses bunkering down with their employees instructed to work from home, schools remained open in NSW and - being a full-time high school teacher - my routine was frighteningly unaffected. During my commute to and from school I would have my camera ready and I’d walk the streets for a few hours each evening, trying to pace away some of the stress from a day spent anxiously following the ever-changing guidelines and trying to remain safe.