The Absence of Life, Oliver Hayward, collage, 2020
My piece represents how life and how people act can be affected by certain circumstances, such as this global pandemic. To do this, I used a photo of myself in a bustling park, filled with people in the background. Then, I recreated it using collage, leaving all signs of human life as negative space on the canvas. For me, this shows that for no apparent or visible reason, society can determine where it is appropriate to go and what is appropriate to do. I also wanted to show that this can have varying effects on people, the environment and the relationship between the two. For example, a location may not be able to grow plants because too many people trample them, but if and when the area is not as populated, the plants could have a chance to grow. Alternatively, an environment could regress because it isn’t being cared for by the people that are usually there.
For me, this work shows the drastic changes that have occurred during this time.