The “Hold Still” photo exhibition spearheaded by the Duchess has opened online.
Most will remember the photo project was created in tandem with the national portrait Gallery; Kate is the organization’s patron. Below, she is seen talking about the endeavor in a may ITV interview.
From The Telegraph’s review of the virtual exhibit:
Back in May, she invited the public to contribute to an open-call “community project”, recording everyday life amid the pandemic: hold still, Britain, while we take a photographic portrait of the nation. Of course, this came at a time when all of us, at the government’s behest, were “holding still”.
Though Kate did offer some guidance, suggesting a few themes, the ambition was to be inclusive, not prescriptive
A panel of five judges selected 100 photos for the online exhibit that opened today, choosing them from more than 31,500 images submitted to the project. Below, the Duchess and the other four judges.
Above you see (clockwise from top left): Nicholas Cullinan, director of the National portrait Gallery; the Duchess of Cambridge; Ruth May, chief Nursing officer for England; Lemn Sissay MBE, writer and poet; and Maryam Wahid, photographer. In a piece for The Sunday Times, the Duchess shared comments about the entries.
Every submission told a unique story — from moments of joy, love and community spirit to deep sadness, pain, isolation and loss. It’s during times such as these we realise more than ever the significance of human connection.
In a video with the judges speaking about the entries Kate said, “the quality of the images has been extraordinary, and the poignancy and the stories behind the images have been equally as moving as well.”
More about the submissions:
The 31,598 entries came from all corners of the UK with the geographic spread stretching from Oban in Argyll, Scotland to Delabole in Cornwall and from Belfast in Northern Ireland to Sheringham in Norfolk.
We were also delighted that so many children and young people took part and we received over 650 images from 99 schools.
To mark the launch of the virtual exhibition, Kensington Palace released a statement from HM to Hold Still entrants. While at Balmoral the Duchess showed HM some of the 100 photos chosen for the online exhibition.
There is also a 1:30 video about the exhibit. among the voices you will hear in the video: The Queen, The Duchess, and Captain Sir Tom Moore. (Fair warning: a Vogue headline about the exhibit reads, “Prepare to ugly Cry at the Duchess of Cambridge’s Virtual Hold Still Exhibition.’)
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All of the photos are accompanied by information submitted with the entry.
Following is a selection of some of the 100 images that are part of the exhibit. The first four are from a selection the Duchess showed HM when at Balmoral. This image is called Holding Tight. It was submitted by Katy Rudd and Joe Wyer.
This is the description accompanying the entry:
This photograph was taken on the commemorations of VE Day, 8 may 2020, a stunning sunny day. during lockdown we couldn’t see our family or friends. and Katy’s freelance work in the theatre had disappeared over night. Our 3 metre-square front garden had become our haven as we spent hours playing with our son Wilf and reading stories. On VE Day, we hung up Wilf’s terrific grandfather’s second world war flag in our small patch and had a picnic – our neighbours did the same. Lockdown had been hard, but it had brought our community together and it had given us time together as a family. We were feeling grateful for that.
Below you see Stockport Spidermen Bringing Smiles to Children taken by Jason Baird.
More about the photo from the submission:
The Stockport Spider Men was started by friends Jason Baird and Andrew Baldock who both took to the streets of Stockport right at the start of lockdown dressed as Spider man to use their daily exercise time to keep the children smiling. This then turned in to a national phenomenon with over fifty other members of the general public joining dressed as various other characters. On top of visiting the community to bring ‘social distancing smiles’, as Jason called it, Jason also set up a Justgiving fund for the NHS Charities together and in the four months of lockdown raised over £60,000 for the real superheroes, our wonderful NHS.
This photo is titled, Sami; it was shot by Grey Hutton.
In his entry, photographer Grey Hutton wrote:
I met Sami on his first day of volunteering at the Children With Voices community Food Hub in Hackney, London. originally from Sudan and raised in Brazil, Sami came to the UKfor his PhD, and had just moved into an apartment overlooking the food hub. He saw what was happening below, and came down to lend a hand. I was right away drawn to his beaming smile and positive vibe. I love the way his apron flutters in the wind, cape-like, as if revealing for a moment the superhero within. It’s everyday acts of kindness and solidarity like Sami’s that have brought communities together through this crisis.
Here you see The look of Lockdown by Lotti Sofia.
The description:
This is my lockdown pal, Pepter. Lockdown has forced a large majority of us into mandatory stillness. Some may see this as a blessing, and others a curse, because limited activities means limited distractions from our thoughts, worries and ultimately ourselves. This picture is a representation of our daily dose of daydreaming that we do while we watch the world go by without us. Be kind to yourselves during lockdown and use this stillness to explore any uncomfortable feelings that may have arisen. They have probably always been there but only now have we got the time and space to truly acknowledge them and listen. We’ve felt lonely, sad, worried, confused, anxious and everything in between, but we are grateful for every key worker, our health, and for the humanity and empathy that has grown out of this dreary time.
Here are some of the other images from the online exhibit. This one is called Shielding Mila, taken by Lynda Sneddon.
We learn about the photo from the description.
We took the decision as a family to isolate Mila at home with myself in the week prior to lockdown. After trying to find an alternative solution we took the difficult decision to isolate in different households to protect Mila, who at this point was only 4 months into her chemotherapy journey for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. As Mila’s dad, Scott, had to continue to work and her big sister Jodi still attend school, we could not risk the possibility of infection being brought home, so they would check out every day at the window. At first Mila did not understand why Scott could not come inside, and would ask him ‘why can’t you come in Daddy?’ This photograph was taken on the first day of separation. After seven weeks of temporary separation and after being furloughed from his job, Scott was reunited with Mila. Looking back, I’m so proud of my daughter and how far she has come, the level of resilience Mila has shown during this unprecedented time is truly remarkable.
Chris Ship of ITV spoke with Mila about her photo being chosen for the exhibit.
Early in the lockdown, ITV did a story about Mila and her wish that people would stay home. You can see that story here.
Many of you will recognize the gentleman in this photo, Captain Sir Tom Moore. The photo was taken by photographer Terry Harris and called Captain Tom Moore.
The description.
Captain Sir Thomas Moore completed 100 lengths of his garden before his 100th birthday to raise money for NHS charities. Having captured the public imagination, the total he eventually raised was over £32m. In recognition of his achievement, Moore was given the honorary title of colonel on his birthday and was awarded a knighthood by Her Majesty The Queen, which was bestowed on him at a special outdoor ceremony in the grounds of Windsor Castle in July 2020.
Our post showing the Queen knighting the Captain is here (you’ll need to scroll through the coverage of Princess Beatrice’s wedding).
This next photo is titled Where’s Grandpa? It was shot by Roni Liyange.
Here is the description.
The moment when my daughter, Gaby, could embrace her grandmother, Teri, for the first time, together with her mother Vanessa, a month after her grandfather Kevin FitzGerald died from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) at the Royal Brompton hospital on 19 April 2020. ‘Where’s Grandpa?’, they whispered as they cried. then Gaby, without hesitation, smiled and pointed to the trees outside the window where he had spent his last weeks, comforted by the view of St Mary Abbots Church, where he had been baptised 66 years earlier. In this time of social distancing and lockdown, it is a hug between three generations collectively mourning the loss of a grandfather, father and husband.
This one captured my heart. never Without Her Grandma, by Melanie Lowis.
The description:
Millie (5 years old) made a cut out of her much loved grandma (73 years old). Millie sees Grandma almost daily and lockdown prevented the pair from seeing each other. As a retired teacher, Grandma would have made the perfect partner to help Millie with home schooling. The bond between this grandma and granddaughter is truly a special one and when lockdown ends, and the real grandma can return, it will be a very happy and emotional reunion.
While on the topic of home schooling, what parent or caregiver can’t identify with Ania Wilk-Lawton’s home Schooling Going Great?
Ania’s description of the image:
Trying to work and home-school when you have a 3-year-old and an 11-year-old is an exercise in tuning out the noise. One might say – ‘Let it go…’ Taken in our home, at the multitasking table.
This one also involves a message from HM. It is called Mum’s 100th birthday Lockdown Chat and it was taken by Anita Reilly.
Anita’s description of the image:
My mum’s excitement on her 100th birthday having received a card from Her Majesty The Queen, with whom she shares her birthday, and celebrating by chatting on the computer video with all the family during the Coronavirus lockdown.
Gallery director Nicholas Cullinan selected several favorites. This first is called Eid-ul-Fitr 2020.
From the description:
Every year, following the holy month of Ramadan, we are used to celebrating Eid-Ul-Fitr, starting the day with congregated prayers at the Mosque, enjoying a special Eid breakfast as a family and wearing our best clothes. We then spend rest of the day visiting the houses of our loved ones, sampling each other’s food and taking selfies! However, this Eid was very different, respecting lockdown restrictions meant that there were no prayers at the Mosque, no Eid hugs, and no time spent with our extended family and friends. despite the unusual circumstances, as a family we found that we had time to reflect upon our faith and how much we value the health and safety of each other more than anything. We hope that this time next year, we will be able to embrace one another and make new memories, remaining humble from our experience in 2020. This is our socially-distanced family photo from Eid-Ul-Fitr 2020.
This image is titled funeral Heartbreak. Bonnie Sapsford and Fiona Grant-MacDonald submitted the picture.
My brother, Barry, lives in the Lake district and could not travel to be with his family when our beloved Gran died of Covid-19 on 3 may 2020. Her cremation took place on 13 may in Edinburgh with only 8 people in attendance – and Barry had to watch it live online – but we were so proud he suitably dressed for the occasion. His wonderful partner, Bonnie took this powerful picture and sent it on to us. The family all missed him greatly and our hearts were shattered at the realisation that our grandmother’s first grandchild could not be with her on her final resting day.
You can see all of the Curator’s choice photos selected by Mr. Cullinan by clicking here.
I’ll close with one of my favorites titled “Thank You.” It was taken by Wendy Huson.
Wendy wrote:
Our little girl, Amelia, has Down’s Syndrome and raises a lot of positive awareness on social media under Amelia may changing Attitudes. On the 12 may 2020 I (mummy) made Amelia a very simple nurses outfit and then took the picture in our kitchen to celebrate international Nurses Day. Amelia’s aunty and cousin (mother and daughter) are both amazing nurses and Amelia has seen a lot of nurses in her short life. therefore we wanted to put a special post on her social media accounts recognising international Nurses Day and thanking all of the nurses for the amazing work they do every day and especially during the Covid-19 pandemic (throughout which Amelia has been shielding). A couple of Amelia’s followers on her Facebook page suggested that we submit the photo to the Hold Still 2020 project which we did. We had no idea that such an innocent photo would be picked out of so many to be included in an exhibition that will go down in history. This is amazing for us and the Down’s Syndrome Community.
Chris Ship of ITV chatted with Amelia about her photo.
Here is the