Art within four walls: the project bringing creativity into view

“Platzwurm” 2020

Michelle Hanselowski

“This piece is all about taking, using and giving space. I feel like the earth is taking back the space it has been missing the last 200 years.”

Helena Wacko and Portia Kentish draw our attention to the Doom Gloom Stuck In Your Room project, a new outlet for creatives during lockdown.

The canvas on which we conduct our lives has shrunken; as lockdown measures are implemented across the globe, we are slowly learning to operate within the four walls of our homes. As social creatures, this time of isolation can be a daunting experience. The incessant bombardment of heart-wrenching news and hypochondriac craziness is fuelling the need for escapism. Finding themselves in quarantine, many of the world’s artists have channelled these feelings into creation. 

With copious amounts of time now at their disposal, art is a remedy against fear and isolation. Even amidst unprecedented times and cabin fever, human creativity is resilient. At the same time, we are now unable to consume art in the way we used to as cinemas, galleries, theatres, and streets are absent until further notice. 

In an industry that so heavily relies on interaction and connection, the era of social isolation brings a new and uncharted time to the arts. Realising this, three university students Zsuzsa Magyar, Morgan Bakinowski, and Lindsay Wickersham aim to fill this fundamental gap with their Doom Gloom Stuck In Your Room Report (DGSYR). The trio want to create a space for “artists across the world to share their quarantine creations” to capture the creative drive emerging from this new normal. 

Not only does the project wish to support and promote artists, but it aims to serve as a documentation of this time. As seen throughout history, artists have filled the separation between historical events and their emotional implications, and now more than ever, we need creative observers to make sense of this new normal. “I hope [the project] can capture a moment of quarantine and social distancing,” says Zsuzsa, “the art is not necessarily about aesthetics, but more about the moment it was made in.”

“Face Masks” 2020

Holly Peters

“I’ve had to get quite resourceful and I have been forced to use fabrics that I had almost forgotten. I recently made myself a denim mask which I love since I’ve been having fun throwing different buttons and patches on it... depending on the mood of my grocery store run!” - Holly Peters

Filled with a mix of boredom and frustration, Lindsay and Zsuzsa wanted to overcome the lack of social and artistic stimulation they were facing. Lindsay began to observe that “secret hobbies were being revealed as newfound poets, people recording and sharing songs on instruments that once collected dust, and knitting projects, among other creative exploits became a regular and welcomed addition to my online experience.” 

From there, the idea for DGSYR grew, as they realised that a quarantine art exhibit was the answer to their frustration and boredom. “For those of which art had already played a central role in their life, I saw experimentation within the constraints of the quarantine, people using their immediate resources to their advantage and exploring themes related to the current state we are in. I wanted to celebrate this,” says Lindsay.

Then, Morgan, with her graphic design skills, joined the team. Though the idea had been cooking for a while, once the concept was formed the ball was rolling; in a mere four day period, a website was created and the trio embarked on their project. For the Doom Gloom Team, it became a way to productively spend their time, a healthy distraction away from the outside world, and continues to be driven by the hope that it will be the same valuable distraction for others.

“I think this is a cool way to digest art in a time where all of your usual stimulus and encounters are not happening,” explains Morgan, “instead observations and experiences are abbreviated to whatever is happening in your room or on your phone”. Like much of life during the pandemic, the online sphere has become crucial in filling the lack of stimulus, and the arts are no exception. 

“The Dwelling” 2020

Benjamin Schweimler, Harry Tomlin, and Can Yilmaz

“Andrew arrives to visit his brother, finding his home in neglect. But the longer he stays, the stranger things become. This short surreal thriller explores themes of isolation, brotherhood and entrapment.” - Benjamin Schweimler, Harry Tomlin, and Can Yilmaz

The beauty of this online medium is its universality and accessibility – and word travels fast. After only a few days, dozens of artists from around the world began to contribute. From dancers to filmmakers, painters to poets, the DGSYR has become a validating space for many to share their art, consume others’ work and, more importantly, serve as a connection between the two.

The project is also a demonstration of ingenuity born out of increasingly restrictive circumstances. This is certainly true of “The Dwelling”, a short film made by Bournemouth University students living in isolation together. The film, now accepted into the Quarantine International Film Festival, was shot entirely in their house and garden. It has been nominated for best horror, score and editing by the Canadian festival, showing the global traction of the DGSYR project.

For others, the project has also been an alternative to art that is so often commodified and competitive. “In a digital market canvases are used to prop up ad-rolls, between every song on Spotify another advertisement is trying to sell you a different song” explains the band Apathy Spells “so it's refreshing to see artists turn to one another in this time and freely share their work”. Their submission, a song titled ‘Neon Dungeon’ was recorded whilst in isolation in Vancouver. Similarly, painter Joseph P. Keiffer speaks of the report's intention in providing “an honest slice of who is doing what”. The 68-year-old painter now isolated in Rhode Island, has made multiple submissions to DGSYR, and appreciates the project’s ability to illuminate “an unfiltered view of what's happening inside houses… not what is in galleries or magazines”

Another artist, Holly Peters, hopes the project “will inspire more people to get out of their comfort zones” during a difficult time. The Toronto based fashion student has been making “fun yet functional” masks for herself and others, combining distraction with purpose. 

“Quarantine Diaries!” 2020

Nell Mitchell

“Desperate for something to keep me creatively awake and stimulated, I began work on my Quarantine Diaries as an outlet for my stress and frustration at the situation that was, and still is, taking place.” - Nell Mitchell

Beyond encouraging practical and much-needed creations, the DGSRY report supports the mental wellbeing of creatives. For the Doom Gloom Team, recognising the mental health impacts of the global situation was a significant motivating factor. “For me, art is a way of processing,” says Zsuzsa, explaining that she wants the project to be a tool for motivation and aid in the creative process. This recognition led to the creation of the “DGSYR Cures” which aim to focus on the positive mental health benefits of  the project, such as empowering artists, by creating a task that people can work towards. “Art for many is a coping mechanism and serves a therapeutic purpose.” explains Lindsay,  “The walls of your room may feel less claustrophobic if you access other worlds and realities through your creative pursuits and by sharing them with others it may help you feel less distant from a society we cannot physically interact with at this moment.”

She continues; “I’ve seen posts circulating that are vaguely in the format of ‘if you haven’t created a side hustle’ or if you ‘haven’t finished that novel’, it isn’t because you haven’t had enough time it is because you’re lazy”. The trio aim to deconstruct this problematic expectation of productivity during a crisis. “I believe people have enough pressure already and strangers performing the role of the ‘disappointed parent’ and projecting that onto the masses serves no use. It is also ignorant of the struggles people are enduring in this chaotic time specifically.” Rather, the team want to shed light on one of the positive outcomes of the pandemic.

“Shave the Beast” 2020

Sam Vladimirsky

“Forced to move back into my childhood home in New Jersey, I find myself in the one place that I never wanted to make pictures. Naturally, if I was to produce any work at all, it would have to be about these newfound conditions themselves” - Sam Vladimirsky

The team also acknowledge that being able to create art under quarantine is not a privilege afforded to all. If the recent weeks have highlighted anything, it is the various harsh realities lockdown measures carry for all of us, particularly the most vulnerable in society. The trio keep this disparity in mind and attempt to make the project accessible to all, while also emphasising its role in serving the community of quarantined artists.  

Despite having manifested their vision in a few days, “It’s still a work in progress”, and leaves the door wide open for future iterations of the project. The future goal is a physical exhibition in London, when the situation allows for it. For the Doom Gloom Team, it’s unclear what the future holds, but this exhibit is far from a capstone. For now, the exhibit stands as a celebration not only of creativity, but of the many positive initiatives that are emerging from these hard and complicated times. As Lindsay expressed, “I wanted everyone to come together after lockdown and see what they all had created and feel a sense of unity and accomplishment.”

The Doom Gloom Stuck In Your Room Report can be found on Instagram.