2020

The calendar says it is not March anymore; but it has been March for as long as you can remember.

You join an online meeting. You are the only one there. You say hello anyway, but your microphone is muted. You did not do that. You look for the link to enter again, but you cannot find it. You don’t remember how you got it in the first place.
 

There are not many people outside. Those few who are don masks and gloves, seemingly sewn to their faces. You yearn for human connection, but you are afraid to make eye contact.
 

Lines are drawn on the floors to indicate how far you should be from each other. Social distancing. In the first week, the lines are drawn in chalk. In the second, they are marked with tape. In the third week, they are red and muddy. You do not look at the floor anymore.
 

Hearts and sweet messages show up on your neighbour’s windows. On businesses’ windows. On your windows. You did not write them.
 

Time is irrelevant. All the clocks in your house show a different one. Days are an illusion. They do not pass anymore. You attempt to read the clock. You attempt to read the clock. You attempt to read the clock.
 

MMXX Gothic is a photographic tribute paid by Alexandra Sarah to the year 2020. A year that has brought on apprehension, fear, and awe; but also gratefulness, solidarity, and empathy. An eerie combination of romance and horror; the only way that felt right to interpret an otherwise inconceivable year.
 

Don’t you know you’re supposed to be inside?