Inspiring Women SUMMER 2020

When I heard Belgium was going on lockdown, I was curious and excited at the same time. This
is a time for photography to write history.
I had to go to Antwerp by bus from where I live to pick up my daughter from the train station. This
gave me a good reason to go out with my camera and experience the state of the city first
hand. I walked for some time through the empty streets – totally confused and lost. The
expensive stores seemed so unnecessary in comparison to the health of the people. The
musician in the street was still playing his accordion. While he didn’t have an audience, he
played beautifully, and it sounded even better than it does when the streets are full. I gave him
the coins in my pocket. And later, I saw a bar selling coffee from an open window – this was still
at the very beginning when everything felt slightly unreal. I never felt unsafe, as busses were all
v e r y c l e a n ;
sometimes I was the
only passenger on
the bus and I was
always wearing a
mask and plastic
gloves. But I always
felt happy to get
back home.
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When my daughter
and I arrived home,
I had the idea of
taking pictures of
people at home
b e h i n d t h e i r
windows. I asked
my daughter to
pose for me as I
pointed up at her
with my camera