Isolation Portraits is a joint project with photographer Bri Hammond Photography, Collingwood Neighbourhood House and Belgium Avenue House funded by our Creative Community COVID-19 Quick Response Grants.

This special edition of the Isolation Portraits series was commissioned by CHEAC focussing on some of the wonderful community in Richmond and Collingwood and shows them staying home during Melbourne’s ongoing COVID-19 #lockdown.

Photographer Bri Hammond met local residents and collected stories about them and their lives, which accompany the portraits. Over the course of a week Bri took pictures of residents through windows, down hallways and through doorways to ensure social distancing was maintained. The residents shared their experiences of lockdown and a little about their backgrounds, and the results are truly uplifting and depict the resilience of the community beautifully. 

‘We have loved sharing these photos on social media and enjoyed hearing from the wider community as they get to know local residents through this photo series.’ Said Sue Kent BANH Manager.

The portraits were safely taken in the space between Melbourne’s first and second lockdowns. At the beginning of the second lockdown, nine public housing towers in Flemington were locked down, without any warning and with a heavy police presence.

Photographer Bri Hammond says ‘I think that it’s important to share the stories from the incredible individuals that live in public housing, to erase the stereotypes and stigmas that exist and lead to this unfair treatment.’

Follow the project on Facebook (@BANHInc) and Instagram (@collingwoodnhouse) and see the entire project here.

The project is currently part of the Neighbourhood Justice Centre's Virtual Urban Campfire exhibition and will be included in a virtual exhibition being planned for later in 2020 in the Collingwood Underground Car Park.