Since the start of the pandemic, health workers have been operating in difficult and grueling conditions, as they continue saving lives on the frontline. At the hospital where I work, staff must balance caring for patients with a limited supply of personal protective equipment, while keeping track of changing protocols, and working conditions.
I have been chronicling my experiences as a nurse during these times. While making space for new training, and worrying about everyone’s safety, my colleagues and I are in close contact with the virus. These factors add to the grief and anxiety around, and within me. On my days off, my husband, an ICU nurse at a different hospital, and I try to relax and enjoy our time together, even if the mental and emotional toll of the crisis lingers.
It is my hope that the public understands the emotional, and physical toll on healthcare workers, as we continue to take to care of patients, while the novelty of the pandemic wears off, and the crisis becomes normalized.
Read more about the project here and here.
*This project was supported in part by the National Geographic COVID-19 Emergency Fund for Journalists.
Artist Bios
-
Rosem Morton
Rosem Morton is a documentary photographer from the Philippines whose work focuses on daily life amidst gender, health, and racial adversity.
As a National Geographic Explorer and an International Women’s Media Foundation Fellow, she explores issues from the effects of gender-based violence and the unheard stories of healthcare workers to the forgotten histories that have shaped Filipino culture and migration. She has written and photographed stories for National Geographic, The Washington Post, NPR, and CNN, among others. She has been recognized by World Press Photo 6×6 Talent, Pictures of the Year International, and The 30: New and Emerging Photographers to Watch. She has received the Leica Women Photo Award and the Visa d’or Daily Press Award.
Organizations
-
Photoville
Founded in 2011 in Brooklyn, NY, Photoville was built on the principles of addressing cultural equity and inclusion, which we are always striving for, by ensuring that the artists we exhibit are diverse in gender, class, and race.
In pursuit of its mission, Photoville produces an annual, city-wide open air photography festival in New York City, a wide range of free educational community initiatives, and a nationwide program of public art exhibitions.
By activating public spaces, amplifying visual storytellers, and creating unique and highly innovative exhibition and programming environments, we join the cause of nurturing a new lens of representation.
Through creative partnerships with festivals, city agencies, and other nonprofit organizations, Photoville offers visual storytellers, educators, and students financial support, mentorship, and promotional & production resources, on a range of exhibition opportunities.
For more information about Photoville visit, www.photoville.com
Donning and Doffing
Featuring: Rosem Morton
Locations
View Location Details Brooklyn Bridge Park – Empire Fulton Ferry Lawn1 Water Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
This location is part of Brooklyn Bridge Park
Explore other locations and exhibitions nearby
