The outbreak of the pandemic transformed our daily lives: Within families, at work, during free time and in interactions with each other - we experience ramifications and upheavals everywhere. The definitions of closeness and distance seem to have altered. Srishti Gupta Roy takes a closer look at how and where exactly. The illustrator examines diverse areas of life and artistically implements new proximity and distance behaviour in these spheres.
So close and yet so far away: The illustration explores the concept of spatial proximity, which is a normality in most middle-class Indian families. But does proximity equal closeness? Doesn't the emotional distance increase with simultaneously increasing physical closeness? Even while more and more families work, study and spend time at home, this spatial approach does not mean closer ties and togetherness. On the contrary, many families now live in parallel, virtual realities - on their screens.
We are all equal, but some are more equal than others. The first lockdown in India shed light on the stark differences among social hierarchies. While the privileged complained about restaurants being closed and not being able to celebrate birthdays, migrants traveled thousands of kilometers without food and money to reach their home villages. Will this alienation continue after the pandemic? Will this gap grow?
“Don't make me into a multi-tasking goddess, just help instead!” Changes are also afoot in partnerships. Those who are at home around the clock have to re-organise themselves and equality needs to be redefined. The multitasking Hindu goddess has a modern appearance. Nowadays, men are assuming a greater share of the housework and taking over some of the chores. Or is this just the wish of the illustrator?
A picture perfect world of work: From office to working from home and partly back again - over the course of the pandemic, we have witnessed how radically the world of work has changed. These illustrations show what it was like before and during the pandemic and how it could look like afterwards. In particular, hierarchies in everyday working life and associated behaviours were clearly defined before the pandemic. With the advent of working from home, behaviour has changed, boundaries of the hierarchy are becoming increasingly blurred. Typical behaviours can suddenly no longer be clearly assigned. Supervisors and employees are growing to work closer together. Will it remain that way in the future?
