The Act of Protection
This project, whilst born out of events of the last 18 months, is about politics, health and the environment.
Protection has many forms.
At its most basic form it is about preventing harm to ourselves and others. We wear masks not just to prevent others catching covid-19 from us but ultimately to “protect the NHS” from being overwhelmed with patients.
The series is also about protecting the planet from adverse effects of climate change. Blue surgical masks have become a ubiquitous symbol of the fight against Covid-19. However, these disposable forms of protection are found discarded on our streets and have became a sign of waste caused by the pandemic.
“Seeing all these masks on the ground demonstrated to me a lack of consideration for those who might have to clean up the streets and little regard for the impact this behaviour would have on the other’s health and the environment”.
Tom chose to channel his frustration about the pandemic the environmental emergency into a project that led him to work with cyanotypes for the first time.
“I initially began to photograph these masks in-situ on the street, but felt this didn’t work so I started to collect the masks, quarantined them and then overlaid each mask on a page of the original 1946 National Health Service Act, creating a series of 90 unique cyanotypes”.
The blue of the cyanotype echoes the colours of the NHS logo and the mask imprint is reminiscent of X-rays.
The Act of Protection asks us to consider who we are protecting, how we protect them, and why.
Together these 90 masks demonstrate the symbiotic relationship between two of the biggest challenges facing the global society at this moment in time.
Each unique cyanotype is available to buy and £50 of each sale will go to the King’s College Hospital Charity to help support those who have spent the last 18 months supporting us.
Open edition prints are also available and 20% of each sale goes to the King’s College Hospital Charity. Go to the print sales page for more information.
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