Social Distancing

The early days of the COVID-19 pandemic were like a storm rising on the horizon. Everyone rushed to the market to stock up on food and household supplies, while simultaneously trying to keep newly-acquired N95 masks in place and not stand too close to each other. As society settled in for an unknown period of isolation, the oxymoronic phrase “social distancing” became part of the common language, and energetic entrepreneurs began selling floor stickers encouraging people to stand the recommended six feet apart.

We have since learned that 15 minutes is merely an arbitrary limit for safe exposure to strangers, there’s no need to wash the groceries before bringing them inside, and ventilation matters more than distance while waiting in a queue. Yet many of these stickers remain in place today, offering homage to the creativity and humor many people brought to those early days, when social animals were asked to be less social.

The series has been featured in “COVID Cantos” exhibition at the Lindsay Dirkx Brown Gallery in February 2025.