How I Put My Hope On Ice And Transformed It Into Art During Lockdown

“Hope on Ice” was inspired through my own personal experience of having to put my own dreams on hold during the 2020 Pandemic. This was my first ever solo photography exhibition, which due to the current circumstances was held exclusively online.

This journey was created through a personal journey of loss and led me to understand how Hope in times of uncertainty can give you the strength to keep going. Holding on to Hope however, or putting it on ice, comes with an acceptance that when the ice melts, things will never be exactly the same as before.

At the beginning of 2020, life as we knew it changed in what felt like an instant. Our normal day to day social interactions were forbidden and smiles were shielded with masks. Those with existing health problems were faced with an uncertain course of action to safeguard their health as hospitals shut down and surgeries were cancelled. Businesses were forced to close indefinitely, and families were left unsure about how they could provide for their children. Some were left alone in isolation, some in a full house. Children were kept from joining a new family while others were locked in with an abusive parent. Pregnant women were faced with going through childbirth without their partners present, other women had their fertility treatments put on hold indefinitely with no further information on when they could try again to try and create a family of their own. Some families grew closer than ever together, while others fell apart. Many lost loved ones, funerals were either delayed or limited to a handful of close family and friends. Volunteers gathered to provide medication and food for those in need. Others saw this an as an opportunity to take away from those they believed had too much already.

This pandemic brought out both the worst and the best in people and highlighted how we all respond in a period of crisis and where we are still lacking in as a society to help those in true need. There was one big difference this time however. We all needed something.

While the entire world revolved around the pandemic and we were locked inside to stay safe and keep those around us safe, nature still carried on regardless. Life carried on outside our very doorstep and remained unnoticed. We missed so much in that time spent indoors. Nature is a strong reminder of how things can change from one moment to the next and how even the smallest of change can throw everything off balance. Despite this, it always finds a way to adapt and grow again in these new conditions, sometimes remaining dormant - or frozen - until the time is right.

I drew an initial inspiration through the work of Azuma Makoto and also others inspired by him such as Tharien Smith and photographer Bruce Boyd. I felt that this way of creating was something I could completely identify with and began experimenting with different techniques to freeze flowers as well as other items while we were in complete lockdown in Cyprus. I sourced flowers from my garden, my grandmothers garden (when I was finally allowed to visit her) and local food shops which were still selling some flowers, even though the selection was limited due to the pandemic.

The titles of each image was carefully selected to represent a feeling. I chose words which were deep and meaningful and from different languages all around the world, as well as from the dictionary of obscure sorrows.

One of my favorite images “MERAKI” has a Greek origin and means “to do something with soul, creativity, or love. When you leave a piece of yourself in your work”. This one for me has immense depth as a lot of artists found it extremely difficult to draw creative inspiration in these circumstances we found ourselves in. Many had to put their art on hold until they could once again find meaning. Others found their businesses closed and faced an indefinite future.

Another example is “SAUDADE” which has a Portuguese origin and describes “a constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist. The sadness of something that is missing, a constant feeling of absence”. This is one of many emotions I feel that many of us felt during lockdown.

By working with flowers, with nature, I was reminded how I needed to stop, take a deep breath and look around - because what we see right now will only be there at this exact moment in time. While we were locked inside, nature carried on and we missed so much of it. While we can put all things associated with our Hopes (Dreams, goals, relationships, feelings) on ice to preserve them, once the ice melts we may not be able to return to that same Hope we once held onto.

I found that by accepting that things will be different, we allow ourselves to revisit this Hope when the time comes so that we can find a way to adapt and move forward. The essence of this Hope will always remain in our hearts, just in a different way.

I hope you enjoy taking this journey with me and find a new way to hold onto Hope.

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