Covid-19 Central London

Jonathan Kemp

Just before the full UK lockdown, Jonathan realised that this was a unique moment in London’s history, which hopefully will not be replicated again. He initiated a project called ‘Covid-19 Central London’ to document what was happening in the heart of London.

The idea was to record the effect of the Lockdown on the main streets, squares, and entertainment venues of Central London. In addition, he wanted to capture unique aspects of Covid-19 which may otherwise not be documented such as the hastily erected window signs.

As time evolved sub-themes emerged

With the change in the external environment, messages on billboards, in shops, theatres and cinemas took on a new meaning and irony.

Workers who normally would not stand out, become the backbone of the day-to-day functioning of society.

Buses, just one part of London’s travel options, become one of few means of traveling for key workers, but the reduction in passenger numbers means that many of the buses travel empty or with few passengers.

After about two weeks Jonathan also started to capture these unique scenes on video.