Lullabies in Lockdown

Duggleby, Beth ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4310-1226 (2022) Lullabies in Lockdown. [Creative Project]

Abstract

The output is a creative project which explores the collective storytelling power of illustration to uncover the experiences of new parenthood during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project includes a co-curated group exhibition, a publication, and a touring pop-up exhibition. Research process: The original group exhibition featured the work of 19 artists, showcasing varied illustrative approaches exploring the experiences of new parenthood in lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic. Through analysis of the exhibition artwork, artist statements, and audience feedback, a reflective account was written considering the role of collectivised authorial illustration in shaping our understanding of lived experiences. The analysis explores how sharing this form of illustrative work within public spaces offers the opportunity to recollect and bring together people who may benefit from reframing their own hardships as being experienced “on their own, but not alone.” A pop-up show was then developed which can easily be transported and added to. This enabled further collaborations with communities and spaces that can host the work, extending beyond the traditional artistic world. Research insights: Through this research, insights were gained into the transformative potential of illustration as a medium for capturing and validating lived experience, particularly in times of crisis. The research promotes alternative approaches within authorial illustration storytelling which complement singular perspective accounts commonly encountered in the genre of ‘lived experience illustration’ (visual diaries, comics, graphic novels etc). The project offers up a more diverse, multiple-perspective, collective and ‘holistic storytelling’ method for further exploration. The findings highlight the importance of collective storytelling in nurturing empathy and solidarity within communities, while also emphasizing the relevance of human-centred approaches in illustration amidst technological advancements and societal challenges. Dissemination: Exhibition at Sunny Bank Mills Gallery, 1-30 October 2022; paper presented and pop-up show exhibited at ‘Blind Spots’ International Illustration Research Symposium, Washington University, St Louis, 2-4 November 2023; Comic Con, educational institutions, galleries, and other DIY creative spaces.

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