Social Distance: Photos of a Brooklyn Neighborhood During Coronavirus
Photo: Joanna C. Valente
By Joanna C. Valente
Living through the coronavirus pandemic is a strange and surreal reality in which we’ve all had to adjust quickly, often isolated from our friends and family without much warning. While the internet and virtual spaces provide a built-in community, and easy ways to keep in touch with friends, physical spaces and communities are still clearly a huge part of what it means to be human.
Humans are communal by nature. We don’t even realize how social we are, until the avenues to being social are gone, even if that means being unable to work in a coffee shop, eating a slice of pizza in your local slice shop, or just comfortably meeting up with friends for dinner or a walk. All of these things, even walking without anxiety (at least in New York City where most people don’t have private lawns, balconies, or porches).
As a photographer, I wanted to document what my neighborhood was experiencing - and what the mood was like. Art, for me, is a way to work through my emotions and understand what I feel; it’s a coping mechanism for me, as it is for many artists. Greenpoint, the Brooklyn neighborhood I live in, is relatively small and insular, especially considering it’s only possible to get to by the G train or a few buses.
Usually, however, it’s vibrant, full of artists, young parents, and locals who’ve lived here for generations. As a quaint neighborhood with a few greenspaces, there are numerous mom & pop shops and indie stores, ranging from record shops, bakeries, bookstores, and music venues. There’s a lot of reasons to love living here - and people aren’t too shy.
So, when people began social isolating more and more over the last month (until it became official last week), it was hard not to notice the energy shifting and changing. The sidewalks emptied out, the businesses shuttered. This is not to say people still aren’t walking around - and there are plenty of restaurants delivering food or allowing pickup (and some are even doing sliding scale or reduced-priced meals, which is awesome), but it’s not the same.
People are, without a doubt, doing the right thing by isolating more - but it comes with a price - and a sadness. It’s traumatic, whether realized or not. It’s still felt - and will keep morphing and changing as people adapt for survival. This collective moment, while difficult, will hopefully bring us together as people, and find ways to be supportive, loving, and tender throughout.
I took these photos last week - just in attempt to understand the moment, and ourselves more.
Joanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York. They are the author of several books, including Marys of the Sea, #Survivor (2020, The Operating System), and Killer Bob: A Love Story (2021, Vegetarian Alcoholic Press). They are the editor of A Shadow Map: Writing by Survivors of Sexual Assault and received their MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. Joanna is the founder of Yes Poetry and the senior managing editor for Luna Luna Magazine. Some of their writing has appeared in The Rumpus, Them, Brooklyn Magazine, BUST, and elsewhere. Joanna also leads workshops at Brooklyn Poets. joannavalente.com / Twitter: @joannasaid / IG: joannacvalente / FB: joannacvalente
