a shelter-in-place portrait series from my home to yours

Baltimore, USA - Long distance connection portrayed over still image through an artistic lens, yes please! Artist, Zachary Z. Handler, bridges geographical constraints to connect with people and take their portrait. This submission’s very close to the spine of the Festival, I hope you enjoy.

From the Artist: In response to COVID-19, I created ERRANDS, a portrait series documenting our shared shelter-in-place experiences from my home to yours. Art-making has always been my default in navigating my emotions and the world around me; a way for me to take care of myself and others. ERRANDS then was born of this desire to provide care while maintaining connections, though quarantining posed obvious challenges to engaging with others during such an unprecedented time.

ERRANDS began on April 18th, 2020, with Khalid, a young man I’ve known since he and his family immigrated to the US from Jordan in 2008. Anyone could sign up for a session; we’d schedule 30 minutes of time to connect over video. I start with a wellness check to make sure someone has asked them, “How are you?” today and offer any resources I may have available for their self-care. Then I set up my phone somewhere in my home - atop laundry, in my freezer, or inside a little diorama I’ve built - then I take their portrait.

As of this moment I have photographed over 275 people from across the globe - from Baltimore, Maryland to Chicago, Illinois, from Chiang Mai, Thailand to Harare, Zimbabwe, from Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico to Razanac, Croatia. Each ERRANDS session has been magical, educational, profound, and joyous, every single time. I’ve always felt that strangers often make the best friends and this project has certainly proven that to me tenfold.

See more on Zachary’s Website and Instagram, and watch a live ERRANDS session on his YouTube.