Mae Fisher

A Mundane Reality is a collaborative and documentary project focused on the daily reality of lockdown.

I have reconnected with the men closest to me, photographing the different emotions portrayed through their body language and expression. Research from the Samaritans website states that 42% of men say they have felt a negative effect on their mental health since lockdown began in March 2020. This statistic confirmed my choice to study the reaction of lockdown on men. With the passing of my Nana in December 2020, my Grandpop Frederick has had to wrestle with loneliness and loss, all during the long hours of confinement in lockdown. This moved me on a personal and professional level, motivating my photography in the direction of documentary, with a key interest in the men around me.

There is a stigma surrounding men’s mental health, which is something I believe shouldn’t be ignored  in today’s society. To raise awareness, I have recorded the honest everyday of these individuals during the global pandemic, capturing my subjects through a banal representation, conforming to the effects of lockdown.

A Mundane Reality emphasises the importance of speaking up about mental health, ensuring everyone understands how crucial it is to talk about how you are feeling, receiving the best help possible. With men’s mental health being considered taboo in the patriarchal society we live in, I hope my project will change this perception, encouraging people to think more about it, prompting an increase in men seeking aid.

I explored a variety of age groups to amplify the contrast between generation and lifestyle. By photographing and interviewing these different individuals I have depicted a genuine storytelling of my subjects, centred on emotion, expression, situation and environment.

My aim is to voice the effects of lockdown on a person’s mental health, encouraging people to find appropriate solutions and understand that this situation is affecting everyone all over the world.