The Estranged by Brooke Holm
30.05.21

New York based photographer Brooke Holm is a dear friend of NHO, and an incredible talent whose work we have long admired and supported.

When COVID-19 swept the mid-atlantic last year, Brooke turned her lens to the changing face of the city. The result is a haunting photo series entitled ‘The Estranged’ which Brooke has generously allowed us to share over our social channels this week. As Melburnians find themselves in yet another extended snap lockdown, the series is more resonant than ever.

“During the peak of the 2020 pandemic in New York City, I undertook a series of solo expeditions to the heart of Manhattan. Pre-pandemic, these places were busy, chaotic and full of wide-eyed tourists. But in this new reality, the streets were desolate and quiet. I photographed the naked architecture, devoid of the human creatures for which they were constructed, making use of the light filtering between buildings. In some images, there is an absence of humans entirely, and in others we see a faint blur of a solo social distancer gliding amongst the structures. In capturing empty streets previously swarming with people, I intentionally blur the focus in an eerie depiction of this moment in history; the past seeming more and more like an illusion from which we are now estranged.” – Brooke Holm

Brooke’s cinematic depiction of the city captures a shared sense of isolation, fear and eeriness experienced in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe. Using the NYC streets as her canvas, Brooke has captured this moment in time with artful observance and sincerity. Thank you, Brooke, for sharing your observations with us.