I’m an art photographer, and have arrived in New Zealand early February 2021 with my family.
Many countries look up to New Zealand right now, for its success with stopping the COVID-19 at its’ borders.
A key player in NZ’s triumph on the pandemic is the “managed isolation” measure.
A relatively easy way to control all borders, and a mandatory isolation for all those arriving NZ.
I am happy to share my personal experience, through my lenses.
Managed isolation New Zealand. Probably not the first place to search for art. But possibly this is exactly the kind of place which street art would thrive in, where there’s no street but an hotel parking replaced as a yard for the isolated; Public art in a publicly isolated place.
(Sorry i don’t know who to credit this drawing to)
The first thing that struck me as I was walking around the yard again and again, were short sentences written across my way. 16 empowering sayings, decorated with a heart on each side.
(Sorry i don’t know who to credit this drawing to)
Perhaps the largest scale drawing was a colourful game of Snakes and Ladders. Something useful and fun to pass time with. A small remark on the side lets you know of the possibility to roll a dice online in order to play. Now and then someone will go over the details of the drawing so it stays forever. This game might be a metaphor for life, doesn’t it...
(Sorry i don’t know who to credit this drawing to)
At some point we started drawing colourful happy Mandalas. It is relatively easy to start with a central symmetric pattern, adding a layer at a time, without any planning ahead. It might be ugly to start with, but it is a classic cygnet becoming a beauty as it grows.
Drawing those Mandalas reminded me of the story of the way you need to combine both large and small stones, simultaneously, in order to fill you vessel (i.e. life) with all the stones, leaving no stone (Look it up...).
We did draw one mandala with the writing ‘New Zealand’, the hotel name and a symbol of Ox as it was the new Lunar year celebrations.
We discovered so many drawings, it was wonderful to follow.
Rainy days would erase most of them, making room for new ones, as if to say “this too shall pass”.
(Sorry i don’t know who to credit this drawing to)
Some people would leave a birthday blessing or a massage for a closed one outside the isolation.
(Sorry i don’t know who to credit this drawing to)
Anyone could ask the guards for some chalk, which you couldn’t pass to anyone else, so not to erupt your ‘bubble’.
(Sorry i don’t know who to credit this drawing to)
One of the most heartfelt moments was when our 13yo son left a math question in chalk, challenging others to solve. The next day we found it solved, with a remark next to it “Army solved”. Not long after came one of the soldiers, called Mitch, to say it was him, and we had a lovely chat. The NZ Defence Force shared it on their Social Media pages, and it was nice to read the reactions.
The soldiers also left a lovely chalk art.
(Drawing - Mitch, NZArmy)
Finally we added a welcome sign in as many languages as we could, in hope for others to add even more.
This word describes best the feeling we got at New Zealand’s managed isolation. We thank everyone who was a part of it.
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