As the world went into lockdown in March 2020, so creatives, many without commissioned work, adapted to finding inspiration within their four walls, or amongst the streets or fields nearest their home. ‘With photographic shoots in our industry coming to a pause we wondered what we could do to harness some of that talent,’ says Robin Harvey, ECD at 360 degree creative agency Spring, which boasts studio spaces in London and New York.
Inspired by the Hungarian photographer André Kertész, who moved to New York in 1936, and only shot images from his Central Park-facing apartment window, Harvey initiated Spring’s #shotathome project, a visual series of images featured on the agency’s Instagram, featuring shots of lockdown life, submitted by renowned photographers worldwide. The offering includes Mark Seliger’s shot of the hospital ship USNS Comfort, sitting in New York’s port, from the window of his West Village home, alongside Julian Broad’s photograph of a misty morning from a remote Cabin in Wales, lensed at 5am to the sound of chirping ravens. ‘It was important that this imagery represented a time where creativity still found a way to flourish,’ Harvey says. ‘It was interesting to see what became inspiring when you removed the industry construct.’
‘The photo comes from a series of shots taken while stuck in Mexico City during the first lockdown,’ says Paolo Zerbini of the knick knacks-focused image he submitted for #stayathome. ‘These objects filled the window of a kiosk and they reminded me of when I was a child. It has a strong evocative power’. Zerbini spent additional time writing during and working on personal projects when the world shut down, also ensuring he stuck to an exercise routine. ‘You should try my curry now!' he adds. ‘It's pretty good!'
Now, in celebration of Spring’s #stayathome project, the company has launched a virtual gallery of its most moving and inspiring images. It has been designed in collaboration with 3D and AR innovators Change of Paradigm, with a digital space evoking the clean and industrial aesthetic of Spring’s physical studios. ‘We wanted to recreate our space in New York to house the gallery, home to so many events over the years,’ Harvey explains. ‘CGI capabilities are continually evolving and opening up more and more possibilities and creative freedom in an industry that demands more and more content and new ways of looking.’ The project culminates in an online sale, with all proceeds being donated to the British Fashion Council, and its Covid-19 relief incubator, the BFC Foundation Fashion Fund.
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