Documenting Social Distancing Measures in Henley Business School- @henley_socialdistancing
In this guest post, the founder of @henley_socialdistancing talks about how he’s documenting distancing measures during this significant period in HBS. Don’t forget to give his Instagram a follow and buy him a coffee to support his work!
The Coronavirus pandemic is indeed a significant period in our history, and one that we will remember for the rest of our lives. The inspiration for @henley_socialdistancing came when I read an article on BBC News about a photographer called Matthew Chattle. He was documenting this “significant period” in London’s history. He did this by photographing social distancing stickers around London. So, I thought what if I could something similar for Henley Business School?
Around the campus buildings, there are brightly coloured social distancing stickers and one- way systems everywhere. As an undergrad HBS student, I chose to focus my project on the social distancing measures in Henley Business School. One photo of Henley Business School which I took back in 2018 triggered nostalgia when I posted it- it was a photo from the Second Floor when there were no social distancing stickers, and there were students everywhere. Today, Henley Business School is a very different place… Most of the time, it is eerily quiet with not many students around. There are social distancing stickers everywhere, like much of campus. And a lecture theatre that could hold over 300 students pre- covid, can now only hold 100.
@henley_socialdistancing has been a great way to experiment with different styles of photography, such as staircase photography, and different close ups. Sometimes, I turn photos into collages, such as one of green ENTRY stickers around the School. Occasionally, I do visit other parts of the campus too and photograph the social distancing stickers there. I did a URS Social Distancing Special once, when I went to photograph the social distancing measures over there.
The biggest challenge I currently face with @henley_socialdistancing is the lack of engagement I get with my content on Instagram. So, as well as experimenting with photography, it is also a chance to experiment with new marketing techniques. This way, my page reaches more people. For instance, using Instagram Stories and word of mouth. Henley Business School have been very helpful in promoting @henley_socialdistancing too by posting it on their Instagram and newsletters, which is getting the page out there to fellow Henley students.
Eventually this pandemic will come to an end. We will see a day when all these social distancing measures around Henley Business School have disappeared. Once more, the lecture theatres will be packed, the ARC will be full of students studying, and students will be able to have face to face appointments with their tutors. So, I hope @henley_socialdistancing will be able to mark this period of history. Plus, it can be used to show future students how Henley Business School responded to the Coronavirus pandemic. And what being a student during this time was like.
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