Home Quarantine 「居家隔离」
Zine Design
5*5 inches
Zine Design
5*5 inches
In the days of quarantine, Chinese families were required to stay within the confines of their homes, facing unprecedented challenges. The prolonged solitude and uncertainty inflicted considerable psychological stress and sparked a newfound understanding of life and a burst of creativity. The increasingly complex health regulations also left the people of China physically and mentally exhausted.
In her handmade zine "Home Quarantine," Leah Ray reveals the profound impact of these strategies through her art. The hand-drawn QR codes are not just the products of extreme boredom; they symbolize the despair and anger in the life of quarantine.
Each zine page reveals the monotony and tedium of life in lockdown. During home quarantine, people were forced to give up their social lives, work, and daily routines. For a young person unable to go out to work, drawing a QR code by hand became an ironic statement in this state of life. This seemingly pointless task became a way to pass the time, a means of combating loneliness, and a release of energy that had no other outlet. For an elderly person, unable to assimilate into the digital society, the trembling hand attempting to trace a symbol he could not understand yet was forced to rely upon—a QR code—was poignant.
In Leah's work, the hand-drawn health codes juxtaposed with the Cultural Revolution-style bold slogans espousing socialist core values provoke deep thought. They reflect not only the psychological state of people during quarantine but also express resistance and dissatisfaction with the current living conditions. This artistic expression cleverly integrates complex emotions, political satire, and cultural critique.
The design of the zine simulates the experience of home quarantine. Like a door sealed with tape, the reader must physically engage by tearing off the seal, symbolizing the breaking of isolation and unveiling the deep societal and personal issues beneath. As the seal is torn, a series of hand-drawn health codes and the interpretation of socialist core values laden with irony unfold before the reader, prompting reflection on the contradictions of the era and the individual's place in society.
Through "Home Quarantine," Leah documents one aspect of the pandemic era and poses a broader question: In such a highly digitalized and surveilled society, how do we maintain personal freedom and dignity? Her work reminds us that in seeking safety and order, we should not overlook humanity's needs and the spirit's freedom.
In her handmade zine "Home Quarantine," Leah Ray reveals the profound impact of these strategies through her art. The hand-drawn QR codes are not just the products of extreme boredom; they symbolize the despair and anger in the life of quarantine.
Each zine page reveals the monotony and tedium of life in lockdown. During home quarantine, people were forced to give up their social lives, work, and daily routines. For a young person unable to go out to work, drawing a QR code by hand became an ironic statement in this state of life. This seemingly pointless task became a way to pass the time, a means of combating loneliness, and a release of energy that had no other outlet. For an elderly person, unable to assimilate into the digital society, the trembling hand attempting to trace a symbol he could not understand yet was forced to rely upon—a QR code—was poignant.
In Leah's work, the hand-drawn health codes juxtaposed with the Cultural Revolution-style bold slogans espousing socialist core values provoke deep thought. They reflect not only the psychological state of people during quarantine but also express resistance and dissatisfaction with the current living conditions. This artistic expression cleverly integrates complex emotions, political satire, and cultural critique.
The design of the zine simulates the experience of home quarantine. Like a door sealed with tape, the reader must physically engage by tearing off the seal, symbolizing the breaking of isolation and unveiling the deep societal and personal issues beneath. As the seal is torn, a series of hand-drawn health codes and the interpretation of socialist core values laden with irony unfold before the reader, prompting reflection on the contradictions of the era and the individual's place in society.
Through "Home Quarantine," Leah documents one aspect of the pandemic era and poses a broader question: In such a highly digitalized and surveilled society, how do we maintain personal freedom and dignity? Her work reminds us that in seeking safety and order, we should not overlook humanity's needs and the spirit's freedom.
