Photographer Dasa Wharton sought strength following the death of her father in Prague at the beginning of April 2020. Unable to travel to Prague to grieve with her family due to the lockdown restrictions, Dasa turned to her camera. Through its lens she captured the strength and resilience she needed in the people she photographed.
This series of photographs have now been transformed into a free outdoor exhibition for the Jersey community to enjoy, with the support of Smith & Williamson, The Parish of Saint Helier, and Signtech.
Ten freestanding large-scale displays have been specially created by local manufacturing company Signtech to house 32 of Dasa’s portraits. Together, this series celebrates the resilience of our community spirit, the incredible measures that individuals and businesses continue to take to ensure the safety of all Islanders, and the work of key and essential workers as well as other members of our community from across the Island.
Dasa commented, ‘Each of us in Jersey is emerging from a year of improvisation. I made these portraits as a gesture of my admiration for Islanders who conquered challenges and stayed strong to serve the community. These portraits are just a handful of those on our small Island who have worked, sacrificed, improvised and innovated to meet the demands of this year. Each image in the exhibition represents many others that I did not have the chance to photograph.’
Matthew Wilson, Director at Smith & Williamson added, ‘We are remarkably proud to be a part of this project. Dasa Wharton’s Portraits of Jersey in COVID-19 provides a thought-provoking visual record of an extraordinary time in global history and how it affected and continues to affect our way of life on this beautiful Island. As we have emerged from the strictest physical distancing guidelines and returned to some semblance of normality, we are delighted to support the community ambitions of Dasa and The Parish of Saint Helier by bringing these sensitive and seminal portraits to the people of Jersey. It strikes me that the people in these images, and many more besides, did not know how lucky our Island would be in overcoming the initial threat of this pandemic.’
The touring outdoor exhibition will open in the Royal Square for a week and stop at the Weighbridge and the Don Street Memorial before returning to the Royal Square towards the end of October. The exhibition dates and venues are as follows:
- Royal Square: 18th September – 25th September
- Weighbridge: 25th September – 9th October
- Don Monument: 9th October – 23rd October
- Royal Square: 23rd October – 6th November
Follow the exhibition and discover the stories behind the portraits on Facebook at facebook.com/portraitsofjersey
Images: All images are copyright and courtesy of Dasa Wharton Photography.
