Under Pressure Description:
I chose the porthole of a rusted submarine to enclose myself in to reflect the reality of living in lockdown during COVID-19.
As we near the end of the 3rd wave of this pandemic, the emotional toll the shut down has taken on so many has been unbearable at times. As a mother of three boys ages 10 and under, I have witnessed the emotional strain of their social and physical isolation coupled with the realities of online learning.
The stress of helping them navigate their remote schooling as well as teaching my own classes of students is a true juggling act. The immense pressure that so many families are experiencing right now to parent, educate, and work simultaneously continues to mount.
But as the days and weeks drag on, I find myself being pulled down by the endless deluge of depressing COVID case numbers and news items. The metaphor of a submarine reflects that sinking feeling I have at the impossible balancing act of helping my own children with their online learning, teaching my own set of classes, and accepting the blurred line between work and home life. I feel trapped in a tight space, and the harder I work at all these roles I play, the more I steam up my small window to the outside world.
The submarine surface that surrounds the porthole is incredibly rusty to illustrate the wear and tear that living through a pandemic has taken on even the most polished of surfaces and circumstances. If one is not careful, the influx of negative COVID news can quickly erode any sense of optimism.
The Canadian flag is the focal point, rather than the porthole as its diagonal line and vibrant red pull the viewer in and direct the eye to the trailing line of submerged flags that represent the countries with the highest case numbers worldwide as of April 2021-- India, Brazil, U.S., Turkey, France, and Argentina.. The Canadian flag dominates because our country is still in the midst of managing its COVID numbers and waiting on what seems like an elusive supply of vaccines. India’s flag is somewhat larger in size because it is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis as a result of its surging COVID cases and deaths.
While the train of flags swirl around the water and begin to slowly sink because of one lone coronavirus particle (that’s all it takes), a set of hands heroically reach into the upper left side of the composition. These hands represent all the healthcare workers that have continued to fight against this virus and care for us despite the unpredictable pull of the pandemic current. These frontline workers are experiencing increasing incidents of burnout and even PTSD as they get a firsthand glimpse into the realities of an overburdened healthcare system. And yet, they continue to tow the line.
The sinking masks reflect the COVID fatigue that many people have been experiencing. While we are all very tired of the virus, that does not deter it from plaguing the globe.
So while COVID still wages its unrestricted submarine warfare on the world, I take comfort in the unwavering hands of our doctors and nurses. Even though I feel like I will never escape the claustrophobic pressure hull of this submarine, I know that I am much stronger than the tide that swells around this steel enclosure. And I am grateful for those healing hands of our healthcare workers and all those who continue to fight, survive and thrive “under pressure”.