The Museletter July 2020

Personal Lowdown on Local Lockdown in W11 Meike Brunkhorst | factor-m | Alla Samarina’s opening night at the Muse was the final of three private views I visited in the week leading up to Friday the 13th of March – and the last visit to a physical gallery before lockdown ... ... her name still visible on the shuttered gallery window as life became much smaller and Portobello became a local village with not a tourist in sight.

There is a lot of comfort in the familiar when the world goes into collective shock, and I was particularly grateful to have some local anchors. Lockdown has definitely shown what you can and can’t do without, and we probably all have an idealised vision of a post-pandemic world.

Like so many freelancers working in the arts, my business flatlined and I needed something to keep my mind focused. Time to read all those books, declutter the wardrobe and grow my own veg! In theory at least. My April routine mainly consisted of daily exercise and home cooked meals, visibly balanced in favour of the latter.

I can’t imagine surviving lockdown without social media and all the amazing stuff happening on tiny screens. I feel almost nostalgic about the early days before we all became experts at video conferencing. Some personal favourites include a virtual pub quizz led by curator Lee Cavaliere, domestic disco with Jarvis Cocker, daily lunchtime chats with Stacie McCormick, creative workshops with Marguerite, loads of artist interviews, particularly those presented by Koenig Galerie in Berlin and Home Cooking.

By May my brain was ready to absorb more than just snippets of information again and I signed up to a short course at the Node Centre for Curatorial Studies. I look forward to a second module in July.

I still haven’t got bored enough to sign up to Netflix, while cancelling a fair few subscriptions that no longer feel relevant and no longer clicking through to every virtual viewing room. I can’t wait to see art on actual walls again and look people in the eye when having a conversation. I’ve greatly enjoyed my first socially distanced visit to an artist’s studio and wonder when we can all safely meet for an opening at the Muse again.

Just like my physical life in the real world revolves around art, so has my lockdown experience. Witnessing #artistsupportpledge unfold and prosper, as well as creative examples of auctions and fundraisers to help artists let down by the system are wonderful signs of solidarity and collaboration, and have provided a welcome counterbalance to negative news headlines and bad politics.

While the doors to the world are slowly starting to reopen, traffic is drowning out birdsong again and people are queuing for fast fashion, it is worth listening to alternatives from creative minds – especially black artists and thinkers.

Lockdown life savers: Doorstep deliveries Fruit & veg: Devlin’s on Portobello Road https://www.facebook.com/Devlinsportobello/ Plants: Holly & Nikki on Golborne Road https://www.instagram.com/in.the.garden/ Keeping Fit Rikki’s Sunday (and Wednesday) workouts https://www.facebook.com/groups/72761521200/ Instagram hero/ines Home Cooking Show https://www.instagram.com/____homecooking____/ Marguerite https://www.instagram.com/margueritelondon/ Stacie McCormick https://www.instagram.com/stacie_art/ Koenig Galerie https://www.instagram.com/koeniggalerie/ Lockdown learning Node Centre for Curatorial Studies https://nodecenter.net/ Open University free courses https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/free-courses Black voices Akala https://www.instagram.com/akalamusic/ Aja Barber https://www.instagram.com/ajabarber/ Roger Robinson https://www.instagram.com/rogerrobinsononline/