The Duchess of Cambridge has launched 'Hold Still', an ambitious community photography project, in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery, to capture the spirit, the mood, the hopes, the fears and the feelings of the nation as we continue to deal with the Coronavirus outbreak.
The Duchess and the National Portrait Gallery are inviting people from across the UK to submit a photographic portrait which they have taken during these extraordinary times. Participants are also encouraged to provide a short written submission to outline the experiences and emotions of those depicted in their photograph.
The project will focus on three core themes:
- Helpers and Heroes
- Your New Normal
- Acts of Kindness
Completely free and open to all ages and abilities, Hold Still will serve to allow the nation to capture a snapshot of the UK at this time, creating a collective portrait of lockdown which will reflect resilience and bravery, humour and sadness, creativity and kindness, and human tragedy and hope. It will also act as a reminder of the significance of human connection in times of adversity, and that although we were physically apart, as a community and nation, we all faced and rose to the challenge together.
What to do:
Submissions for Hold Still can be made via: www.npg.org.uk and copied to school.improvement@hants.gov.uk . The closing date will be the 18 June, 2020.
One hundred shortlisted portraits will then feature in a gallery without walls a one of a kind digital exhibition open to all. A selection of images will also be shown across the UK later in the year. The images can be captured on phones or cameras and each image will be assessed on the emotion and experience it conveys rather than its photographic quality or technical expertise.