Finding inspiration in COVID Zoom calls

STARTING off the new creative calendar, the Ballarat Art Gallery has unveiled the latest Backspace exhibition, this time featuring by Marcia King’s exploration of challenges around communicating during the pandemic.

Titled I think you’re on mute, the exhibit showcases a series of portrait style drawings of people King came into contact virtually over lockdown.

“The exhibition is about digital communication and what we all had to go through in 2020,” Ms King said.

“The number of meetings I had where someone said, ‘I think you’re on mute’, or my ‘internet’s dropped out’ was funny to me, so the whole thing is a commentary on that.

“Also, the grid of sketches is inspired by the concept of the Zoom call where they are all sitting there squinting into the camera.”

Turning to her own devices, at the beginning of the COVID crises King said she planned to use virtual meetings and digital photos as the basis of her inspiration for the series of drawings.

“When the first lockdown started, I put out a call to social media and asked people if they wanted to be involved and I got hundreds of people reach out and send me photos,” she said.

“I sent them a bunch of instructions they had to follow, sometimes I would meet with people online and draw them live… I got over 1900 images in total and there are 74 drawings in the show.

“Everyone has been so affected by it so to capture my friends and followers online and their experiences throughout as well as mine has been really important.”

Working day-to-day in IT herself, Ms King said transforming digital images and video into sketches was a truly cathartic process for her.

“To translate digital into that analogue medium was a really great experience and being able to create during lockdown was a great way to get through it all as well,” she said.

“I get to leave my normal IT life in the digital realm and then get into a more creative space so it’s been a great way to get through 2020.

“I wouldn’t mind if people have a bit of a laugh at some of the titles I’ve given them as well, they’re all pretty common catchphrases of the digital experience and your average Zoom call.”

While entry to the Gallery is free, due to COVID guidelines, to see the exhibit it’s encouraged to book a ticket online at artgalleryofballarat.com.au.